Melting Ice
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: Three months after the ordeal in Los Angeles, Jeff is finally ready to start a new chapter of his life with Beth. But someone will stop at nothing to put his plans on ice. Can Jeff protect the one person he loves most? Jeff/Beth Full summary inside.
1. What Hurts the Most

**Melting Ice**

**Summary**: Sequel to "Fighting Fires." Three months after the ordeal in Los Angeles, Jeff Hardy is finally ready to start a new chapter of his life with Beth. But someone doesn't want him to and is determined to stop at nothing to put his plans on ice. Will Jeff be able to protect the one person he loves most? Jeff/Beth

**Song**: "Seasons" by The Veer Union

**Rating**: T

**Genre**: Drama/Romance

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Okay, hopefully, you guys are all able to read this because Fanfiction is hopefully working! I just want to extend a warm welcome back to all those who read and enjoyed "Fires!" Thank you for checking out my first wrestling fic ever, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much. Of course, since it is a sequel, I have to ask you to read "Fires" first if you're just stumbling upon this one since it wouldn't make much sense otherwise. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you already know this, but I just want to make sure I give credit where credit is due. A huge, HUGE thank you to **the hardy boyz lover** and my older brother (coincidentally named Matt, lol) for their tremendous help for further developing this story. The "Melting Ice" you are about to read would not be the way it is without them, as they have helped me to make it awesome for your reading pleasure! Um, one more note, and then we'll get started! The poem "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost (one of my favorites) actually inspired the titles of these two stories, which is why it makes an appearance here. So, okay, now that everything's out of the way, I hope everyone enjoys this! You guys deserve it!

Chapter 1- What Hurts the Most

**Artist**: _Rascal Flatts_

_Fire and Ice_

_Some say the world will end in fire_

_Some say in ice_

_From what I've tasted of desire_

_I hold with those who favor fire_

_But if I had to perish twice,_

_I think I know enough of hate_

_To say that for destruction ice_

_Is also great_

_And will suffice_

_-Robert Frost_

Matt Hardy smiled as he walked along a narrow path through the tress with his younger brother. It was a crisp winter day in Cameron, North Carolina, and the feeling of the cold air rushing into his lungs was refreshing. The area was beautiful this time of year with the pure white snow coating the bare trees and the frozen ground beneath his feet. It was a very peaceful time of year in his hometown.

Jeff Hardy kept in pace beside him, watching as his breath appeared before him in a small cloud due to the chill. He wasn't quite as comfortable with the cold as the older Hardy was, and he much preferred t-shirt and light sweatshirt weather compared to full-out winter. But, it wasn't unbearable, which was how he was still able to enjoy this rare walk with Matt.

"So, when do you think the house will be done?" Matt asked as they rounded the corner, the lake that bordered the younger Hardy's old home coming into sight.

"In a couple of weeks," Jeff answered with a broad smile. "It's a bit trickier in winter, but we're mainly doing interior stuff now. You know that Beth and I appreciate all that you've done for us during this difficult time, but we're also excited to get back into our own place."

"I can understand that," Matt said. "Having your own space gives you room to breathe."

"That it does," Jeff agreed. He paused on the trail for a moment, looking across the now frozen lake at the other side. Though there were no longer any remains, that was where the place his old house, his old life, used to stand. But now, everything was gone, and he and Beth were starting their new lives in only a couple short weeks. He took a deep breath, allowing the cold air to enter his lungs. The feeling was almost liberating.

"You okay, Jeffro?" Matt wondered, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder.

Jeff slowly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he told him as he carefully walked down to the edge of the frozen lake. "I just can't believe the time that's gone by."

"Tell me about it," Matt muttered as he joined the younger Hardy, looking out at the still water. "It's crazy how fast time has gone."

"Feeling old?" Jeff teased with a smirk.

Matt laughed. "Are you kidding me? No way, Man! I have many years left ahead of me!" He reached out his hand and shoved his brother playfully while Jeff laughed.

Suddenly, Matt jumped and gasped when he heard a loud noise that sounded almost like a gunshot, and he wildly looked around to try to find its source as the echoes lingered in the air around him. Not able to find anything, the older Hardy slowly turned back to look at the younger man, but his face paled as his heart nearly stopped when he saw him, time seeming to slow to a stop.

"_Jeff_!"

He was lying on his back on the ice, his face deathly pale and his eyes wide open in shock as he gasped for air. It truly had been a gunshot… Matt quickly but carefully stepped out onto the frozen lake, kneeling down next to him and seeing with fear that there was blood blossoming on his chest. _Why_ hadn't he brought his cell phone?! "Oh, God… Come on, Jeffro. Don't do this," he muttered anxiously, pressing his hands down on his chest in order to apply pressure to the wound. It felt like each breath the younger Hardy tried to get took a lot of effort. "Hold on, bro. Stay strong…"

When he heard the older Hardy's voice, Jeff slowly turned his head and looked up at him, his green eyes weary and filled with pain. "Ma… Matt…" he whispered weakly, talking also taking a tremendous amount of effort.

"Yes, Jeffro. I'm right here," Matt told him encouragingly as he continued to apply the pressure, his heart dropping when he watched his brother try to cry out with the pain he was feeling but didn't have the strength to. "And that's exactly what you need to do. Stay with me, little bro. Can you do that? Can you do that for me, Jeffro?"

"Matt…" Jeff's chest then began to heave forcefully under Matt's hands, and his anxiety spiked when he realized that the younger Hardy wasn't able to get enough oxygen into his lungs.

"Come on, Jeff, breathe!" he said, feeling tears rush to his eyes. "You have to breathe! Jeff, stay with me!"

A few more minutes seemed to slowly drag by where Matt worked frantically to try to sustain his brother, but it seemed that Jeff found that he didn't even have the strength to force himself to breathe anymore. Matt sensed this in this back of his mind, and he turned Jeff's face toward him with worry.

"Jeffro, don't you _dare_ give up on me!" the older Hardy ordered, tears beginning to fall from his dark eyes. Ever since their mother had died when they were young boys, he had always taken care of his little brother, and that wasn't going to stop now. He couldn't let him die too. "Don't you leave me!"

There was intense pain written clearly all over Jeff's face as he struggled to breathe when he met Matt's intense gaze, but then, that was replaced with a look of something that resembled peace as he gave him a small smile. Matt watched with mounting dread as the younger Hardy shakily raised his tattooed hand and formed the older's main hand gesture before it fell limply back to the ice as he eyes closed and his head lolled limply to the side, his breath escaping him.

Matt felt as though his own heart stopped in that moment as time once again sped up to its normal pace. He fearfully looked down at his trembling hands, seeing that Jeff's crimson blood had stained them, and he reached forward and desperately shook him. "Jeff, please," he begged quietly as more tears escaped from him. "Jeff, no… You can't do this, Jeff. Jeff… _Jeff_!"

But it was no use, no matter how much he shook him, how much he yelled. He got no response from the younger Hardy. He wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. Jeff was gone.

No, Jeff. Don't… Please…" Matt began to sob as he held his baby brother's lifeless body close to him, cradling his head against his chest. "Jeff… you can't leave… Please, Jeff…"

This couldn't be happening. Jeff couldn't be dead. But Matt knew he was. His limp form in his arms told him he was as he put his forehead on top of his purple hair and continued to cry. He knew that he had failed to save the one person that meant the world to him. His brother, his confidant, his best friend… had been brutally taken from him before his very eyes.

Why did it have to be Jeff when he had so much left to live for? If there was any justice in the world, Matt knew that it should have been him that had taken the bullet, not Jeff. Never Jeff. He was the younger brother, and there was no reason why he should have had to die before him. That wasn't the natural order of things. Jeff had entered the world after him, and he should have left it after him. Not now. Not like this.

But no matter how unfair it was, Matt knew that there was nothing he could do. No matter how much he wanted to go back in time to save his brother by taking the bullet for him if he had to, this could not be undone. As Matt knelt sobbing on the ice, holding the younger Hardy close to him and kissing his cold forehead, he knew that he would never see Jeff again. He would never see that mischievous glint or that special spark of life in Jeff's stunning green eyes again. He would never hear Jeff laugh at or along with him again.

Jeff was dead.

* * *

Matt quickly sat up in bed, tears falling from his dark eyes as silent sobs shook his body. That nightmare had been terrible. It had seemed so real- the dread of his little brother's life slipping away from under his hands still lingering in his mind. Jeff's pale face… his crimson-stained hands… He would never forget those images for as long as he lived.

Granted, it hadn't been the first time he had a dream where Jeff's life was ended in front of him, but it had been much worse, much clearer, than the first. The first nightmare had taken place after their fateful trip to Los Angeles almost three months before once they were safely home in Cameron. In that dream, he had arrived too late to save Jeff from the burning attic of the apartment building where the obsessed Brittany Howe and her father had kept Beth captive. In that dream, it had been Eric Howe who had taken his brother's life, and he was almost sure that it was the same man that had fired the gun that had snatched it away again this time.

Eric Howe. Matt couldn't think that name without the memories of that night haunting his mind. His last, forceful punch that had caused the man to fall to the stairs… Eric being engulfed in flames and crying out in agony as he ran out of sight… Though he desperately tried to forget about what happened, about what he had done, the thought somehow still crept its way to the surface of his mind. And now, it appeared that it was doing that through his nightmares.

Matt sighed heavily as his tears finally stopped, and he sniffed as he quickly wiped them away. There was nothing to worry about, he reasoned with himself. Eric was dead, Brittany was in prison, and Jeff was just fine. The danger was gone.

But still, the older Hardy couldn't shake the feeling of dread left over from that nightmare, and the feeling was so strong that he was drawn out of bed. He left his room and entered the hallway, lit only by the light from the moon coming through the window, and he wandered to the door that was next to his. After merely staring at it for a long moment, Matt slowly turned the knob and pushed open the door, closing it again behind him after he entered.

In the soft light, he saw that they were both sleeping, Beth wrapped securely in Jeff's tattooed arm. Matt sighed as he watched them, now feeling completely reassured. The quiet whisper of the even breaths his brother took calmed his nerves since they were so different than his gasps for air in his dream. Not sure if he could fall back asleep but feeling much more relaxed now, Matt turned and quietly pulled open the door as he made to leave the room.

"What are you doing, Matt?"

Matt turned back around at the sound of the nearly silent question, and he was surprised to see Jeff's sleepy, green eyes gazing at him with wonder as he propped himself up on one arm. "Nothing really, Jeffro," he muttered with a small smile. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nah, Man, I heard you come in," Jeff said quietly so he wouldn't wake Beth. "The restless feeling in my legs makes it difficult to sleep sometimes. But what were you doing in here anyway?"

He knew Jeff had a feeling that something was bothering him, and he also knew that he couldn't keep what was on his mind from his brother for long. "Can… can we talk?"

Jeff looked up at the older Hardy with surprise. There weren't many times when he came to ask him this. He knew that there was definitely something wrong now. "Sure, Matt." He slowly and carefully climbed out of bed, kissing Beth's cheek and making sure she was still covered from the chill so she would remain asleep before throwing a t-shirt on and joining his brother. "Let's go, Man."

Matt sighed as he entered the hallway shortly followed by Jeff, and they went down to the kitchen together. The older Hardy turned on the light, and the younger was momentarily blinded by the brightness as he covered his face. After a moment, Jeff sighed and shook his head as he lowered his hands again, ready to talk to his brother.

"All right, what's bothering you, Man?"

Though it was a relatively simple question, Matt found that it was extremely difficult to answer. He sighed again as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer, opening it and taking a long sip before he turned to face Jeff. What could he say? It wasn't going to be easy. He almost felt like these dreams were a weakness.

"I just had a nightmare, Man, that's all."

"Well, tell me about it," Jeff said as he leaned back against the bar, watching as Lucas sleepily entered the kitchen and approached his brother.

Matt looked at the younger Hardy for a long moment as he took another sip of beer. "Have… have you had dreams about what happened three months ago?" he asked hesitantly.

Jeff sighed as he tightened his ponytail. "Yeah, Man," he answered quietly. "But they aren't so bad. Like, basically all they've been is I keep running into Brittany everywhere I go."

"I wish mine were like yours," Matt muttered. "Mine are much worse…"

"What were they?" Jeff was staring to feel a bit nervous. He had never seen the older Hardy this shaken up before.

Matt sighed. It wasn't going to be easy telling his brother that he had seen him die. "The one three months ago was basically that I was too late to save you from the attic," he explained quietly, taking a bit of a longer drink of beer this time. Jeff nodded in understanding, urging him to continue. "But the one I just had…" His sentence trailed off, the horror of his dream still fresh in his mind.

Jeff sighed. "You can tell me, Man," he said with a slight smile. "I won't take it as some sort of omen or something, don't worry."

The older Hardy laughed a little in spite of himself as a thin line of tears formed in his dark eyes. "Well, we were just walking along the trail by the lake, talking about how you and Britt were going to move into your new house in a couple weeks," Matt told him, not able to meet his brother's gaze. "Then… you were shot, Jeff. I tried to help, but… I couldn't…" His sentence trailed off again as his voice broke and a single tear fell from his eye.

The younger Hardy looked at his brother for a long moment before sighing and wrapping his arm around his shoulders. Matt felt a few more tears fall from his eyes before they stopped, and he took a deep breath as he nodded to Jeff to show him he was okay.

"It was just a dream, Matt."

Matt sighed. "I know," he whispered, if anything, just to prove the fact to himself. "It was just so clear…"

"Well, we've got nothing to worry about, Man," Jeff assured him with a smile. "That bitch is in jail, her father never made it out of that apartment building, and we're home safe and sound. Okay?"

"Yeah, we are," Matt agreed with a smile, giving his brother a quick, one-armed hug. "Thanks, Man."

"Of course. But, I'm probably going to try to get some sleep now. Talk to you in the mornin', Man."

"Okay. Good night, Jeffro."

"Good night."

Matt watched as his brother left the kitchen before sighing and looking down at Lucas, who had been trying to get his attention during his whole conversation with Jeff. "What?" he asked, bending over a little as the dog began to jump up and down in excitement. "Do you wanna' go outside?"

That was the magic word. Lucas happily barked once before scurrying out of the kitchen, heading for the door. Mat laughed a little to himself, following him into the living room. He was certainly a little bundle of energy. He opened the front door, watching as Lucas dashed outside, stumbling a little in the snow. Matt slipped his shoes on and went out after him, squinting in the darkness to try to keep the little dog in sight. He shivered in the cold air, watching as his breath appeared before him in a small cloud. Talking to Jeff had helped him get over his nightmare, and the winter chill was also waking him up more and allowing him to leave the dark dream behind. It was refreshing.

Then, Matt's eyes narrowed in concern when he heard Lucas beginning to bark. It sounded different than the one of excitement he had heard in the kitchen. This one sounded angry.

"Lucas!" Matt called, walking quickly through the snow in the direction his dog had gone. "Lucas!"

The barking continued, and Matt soon found him standing in front of a line of trees, growling quietly as he looked at something in the shadows before him intently. "What's up, buddy?" he asked as he stopped a small distance behind the fuzzy, white dog. "What's there?" But before he could reach for him, Lucas suddenly whined with fear and backed away from the trees before he began to run as if retreating from something.

"Whoa!" Matt quickly bent over and grabbed Lucas before he could get past him, grateful for the dog's clumsiness in the snow. But, he was alarmed to feel that he was shaking. "What's wrong, buddy? What did you see?" At first, the older Hardy had assumed that he had only been barking at a small animal or something, but now, he didn't think so.

Matt looked into the trees, squinting to see in the darkness. For a long moment, he couldn't see anything. But then, he saw what he thought was a glint of metal, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Unsure if he had actually seen anything or not, Matt kissed Lucas' head to try to calm him down, holding the dog close to him as he turned and hurried back toward the house as quickly as he could.

**Author's Note**: Wouldn't it have been terrible if I ended it with that first section? Lol, I'm not that evil… yet. Anyway, things aren't looking the best for dear Matt right now. Let's hope they improve. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated.


	2. You're the Inspiration

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Wow, I'm glad to see that you're all back for the sequel and that you're liking it so much already! Yep, this story is going to be a bit darker than the first with a bit of a more complicated plot, so it should be interesting and a fun ride! I'm glad you're here! Thank you so much to **-.I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **dumwolf16**, **BubblyShell22**, **ponygirl-loves-mcqueen**, **xOallisonqtOx**, and **the hardy boyz lover **for your awesome reviews! I'm glad you're all as excited about this story as I am! Okay, a **note** about this chapter. It's obviously fictional, but it would be adorable if it actually happened in real life! The song title that I chose for it is crucial, so I highly, highly recommend that you all listen to it at some point, but I can't give the reason here because it would give the chapter away, lol. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 2- You're the Inspiration

**Artist**: _Chicago_

Matt quickly opened the door, immediately locking it once he closed it again behind him. He set Lucas on the ground, watching as he hurried over to his basket that had been moved in front of the fireplace with his tail between his legs. Something had definitely spooked him, he just wasn't sure what. He thought about the glint of metal he thought he had seen, wondering if it had actually been there and if that was what had startled Lucas so badly. More importantly, what had it been? The thought that something could have been out there unnerved him.

Then, his nightmare once again entered his mind, and Matt closed his eyes as the sound of the gunshot echoed in his ears. He _had_ to stop thinking about that. It wasn't going to happen, and he had to stop believing that it was. His nightmare had no connection to what had scared Lucas. He was just overreacting.

Sighing, Matt slowly walked back to the kitchen to turn off the light before he went back up to his room to try to get some sleep, but he was startled to see that the kitchen wasn't empty like it had been when he had left it. "What are you doing back down here, Jeffro?" he asked.

Jeff slowly raised his head off his arms from where he was sitting at the table, and Matt could clearly see the exhaustion in his green eyes when he looked back at him. "This restless feeling in my legs is driving me crazy, Man," he answered quietly as he stretched them out. "I had to keep turning in bed, and I didn't want to wake Beth, so I came down here in hopes that it would settle down."

"No luck yet, I take it," Matt muttered as he sat in the chair across from him.

"Nope, not yet," Jeff confirmed with a shake of his head.

Matt sighed. "Have you considered taking some time off?" he wondered. "I mean, this makes it pretty difficult to sleep, and you're always looking more tired than usual."

Jeff laughed a little at the over-protectiveness in his brother's tone. "Nah, Man," he said. "It's going to take more than that to keep me out of the ring."

The older Hardy raised an eyebrow. "Like what you're planning on asking Beth tomorrow, perhaps?"

"Well… I don't know." Jeff looked away from Matt. "I think she knows it's coming, but also that it won't be for a long time. I want to finish the house first and reach the end of my contract before I consider taking time off."

"If she knows it's coming, then what's the big deal?" Matt grinned. "It's obvious that she's willing to wait until you're ready."

"But that's just it, Matt. I don't know if I _am_ ready," Jeff told him. "I love Beth more than anything, you know that, but I don't know if I'm ready to make that next step."

Matt laughed. "Oh, my God. I never thought this day would come," he said as he shook his head. "My little brother, who does a fucking flip from like thirty feet in the air without hesitation, is actually _scared_ to do something?!"

"Shut the hell up, Man," Jeff muttered, but a smile crept onto his face too. "This is different…"

"And easier," Matt countered. "You ask her, you give it to her, and then you guys wait until the right time. There. Done. You're making it much more complicated than it needs to be, Man."

Jeff smirked. "Oh, yeah, I'm sure you've done this before."

Matt rolled his eyes. "That's beside the point," he replied. "All I'm saying is you have the damn thing, and you're sure as hell going to give it to her."

"I don't know, Man…"

"You'll be fine, Jeff." Matt reached forward and placed his hand on his brother's tattooed arm. "Just have fun with it. You don't have to be all traditional. Hell, you could even have Itchweeed do it for ya' if you wanted."

The younger Hardy smiled and even laughed a little at the thought of his crazy alter ego running up to Beth with his weed whacker to ask her the important question. "We wouldn't want to scare her."

Matt nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's true," he muttered. "That would probably be a bit overdoing it. But the important thing is that you have fun and keep in mind that it doesn't matter how long you guys wait. I think Randy and Samantha waited for like two years or something before they were actually able to go through with it. So, it obviously doesn't matter."

Jeff stared down at his brother's hand still resting on his arm for another moment before looking up into his dark eyes as he nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Man."

"No problem." Matt smirked as he got to his feet and Jeff did the same. "What do you think she's going to say? No?"

* * *

_"Then… you were shot, Jeff. I tried to help, but… I couldn't…"_

Jeff sighed as he once again rolled over onto his other side on the bed, not sure why his earlier discussion with Matt remained prominent in his mind. Ever since he almost hadn't made it out of the burning apartment building three months before, he had thought even more about the risks he put his body through and what could possibly happen if they ever went wrong. Granted, he always quadruple thought about the stunts he did in the ring so he wouldn't hesitate, believing that it was the smaller things such as hesitation that would kill him, but he had never really thought about his death. He put his life on the line a lot, but he never really thought much further than that. The fact that Matt had seen his life end in a dream greatly disturbed him, though he wasn't quite sure why.

Not able to find a comfortable position yet, Jeff slowly climbed out of bed so he wouldn't wake Beth and paced the room a little before he went to the window. Leaning on the sill, he looked out past the trees at the house that they had been working on for what felt like forever, and he knew that it was finally going to be done in a couple weeks. In only a couple short weeks, he and Beth would be able to start their lives over again, hopefully in more ways than one.

Then, Jeff quickly looked down at the trees beneath him when he saw slight movement out of the corner of his eye, but by the time his gaze was able to adjust to the darkness, he saw nothing. Figuring that he was just tired, the younger Hardy rubbed his eyes as he sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to sleep easily the rest of the night with his racing mind and restless legs.

Jeff felt a smile spread across his face when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind, and his tensed muscles seemed to instantly relax. "How long have you known that I wasn't able to sleep?" he asked in nearly a whisper as he lowered his hands.

"Long enough," Beth answered just as quietly, softly kissing the back of his neck. "It got a little chilly without you next to me for one thing. And I didn't feel you tossing and turning anymore."

"Sorry about that," Jeff muttered as he turned around, winding his arms around Beth and pulling her up against him. "I know it must be annoying for you."

"Oh, don't worry about that, hon," Beth told him. "I'm just concerned about you, that's all. How are you feeling?"

Jeff shrugged. "I'll be fine in a little while," he said as he brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "I got up since Matt had a nightmare he wanted to talk about, and then I had some… important things I had to think about."

Beth's eyes shone with interest. "What kinds of things?" Her tone made Jeff think she had an idea of exactly what he had been thinking of.

"Just… things." Jeff didn't really want to go into detail about Matt's nightmare, and he especially didn't want to go into his plan for the next day in case she actually didn't know yet. How he was going to go through with it, he wasn't sure yet, but he would just see where the wave took him as he always did.

"Are you all right, Jeffro?" Beth asked with concern, running her fingers lightly over his cheek.

Jeff caught her hand before it fell and quickly kissed her fingers. "Fine," he answered quietly. Then, he leaned forward and caught her lips in a gentle kiss.

Beth returned the action, placing her hands on his shoulders as Jeff pulled her even closer. There was a bit of tension in his kiss, she noticed, and she knew that there was definitely something on his mind now. She just didn't know what.

They slowly, hesitantly broke the kiss after a moment, and Beth smiled up at Jeff as he kept her wrapped in his arms and looked out the window. Her eyes shone and her face lit up at what she saw. "Look, Jeffro. It's snowing!"

Jeff followed her gaze, smiling slightly when he saw that there was indeed a light flurry of large snowflakes that were gently falling to the earth below. It was a very calming, beautiful sight. He sighed, pulling Beth closer to him again as he rested his cheek on top of her head and watched the snow with her. He was grateful for the feeling of relaxation he felt now since he knew the next day was going to be a long one.

* * *

"So, you're gonna' ask her today, right?"

Jeff turned to look at his brother as he took a small sip of his coffee, seeing that the older Hardy was grinning broadly with excitement. He reminded him of a little kid in a candy store. "Yeah, I guess," he answered quietly. "I just don't know how I'm going to do it…"

Matt laughed a little as he took a longer drink of his Monster. "Well, I'm sure it'll just come naturally," he said. "But, as I said last night, if you don't think of somethin', I'm sure Itchweeed will."

"No way in hell, Man," Jeff replied as he laughed too.

"Then you'd better think of somethin'!"

"Thanks for the pressure…"

"Not a problem." Matt smirked. "Someone's gotta' get your ass moving on this."

Before Jeff could retaliate, Beth entered the kitchen. There was a broad smile on her face, and her eyes were shining with excitement. It had been a while since they had seen her this happy in the morning.

"What's up, Britt?" Matt wondered.

"I'm going to go check on the house since I didn't get to yesterday," Beth told him, and they now understood why she was so excited.

Matt not-so-discreetly elbowed Jeff, who was taking a sip of his coffee, in the ribs, and the younger Hardy coughed when the liquid went down his throat the wrong way and even spit some out. "What the… hell, Man…" he muttered between coughs.

"You okay, Jeffro?" Beth asked with concern.

"Fine," Jeff answered as he glared at Matt, who gave him a pointed look. It was at that moment he understood his older brother's actions. "Why don't you wait a minute, Beth? I'll join ya'."

Beth blinked with surprise, having a feeling that something was going on that she wasn't aware of, but then she smiled. "Okay, hon."

Jeff smiled at her, glaring at Matt once again as he turned and set his coffee mug down on the counter. The older Hardy shrugged innocently, laughing a little as his brother left the kitchen. Jeff hurriedly went up the stairs and to the guest bedroom he shared with Beth, quickly changing into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. After tying his hair back into a neater ponytail, he went to his closet and dug into the very back where he put things that he only wanted his eyes to see. He finally pulled out a small, leather, black box, flipping it open and looking at its contents.

The ring was simple- a shining silver with a small diamond at its center. But, it was beautiful in its simplicity, and especially since Beth wasn't too much of a jewelry wearer, he knew it would be perfect for her.

But… how to ask her? How to give her this ring? Jeff knew that the most important question of his life now lay ahead of him, but he was unsure of how to proceed. It made him extremely nervous, and for the first time, he was afraid to go through with it. He didn't want to freeze up.

Then, he remembered Matt telling him to just have fun with it. He didn't have to be traditional like the typical proposals that were always shown in movies and shows. He was an artist- he was sure he could think of something. Not wanting to keep her waiting any longer, Jeff carefully took the ring out of the box and put it in his jeans pocket before tossing the box back into the closet and leaving the room.

"Ready?" Beth asked when Jeff came back into the kitchen.

"Yep. Let's go," Jeff answered with a smile, hoping that his nerves weren't showing through in his tone.

Beth returned the smile as she walked past him to the front closet to get their coats. Jeff glanced back at Matt, who gave him a goofy grin and a double thumbs-up for support. The younger Hardy rolled his eyes and shook his head as he then followed Beth out of the kitchen. Matt's grin lingered on his face as he bent down and picked up Lucas from the floor, kissing his head.

"He's finally gonna' do it, buddy," he muttered as he bounced him in his arms with excitement. "Soon, you'll officially have an Aunt Beth!"

After they put on their winter coats, scarves, and gloves, Jeff and Beth left Matt's house and began walking down the snow-covered path that joined the two properties. "So, what was the whole deal with you and Matt?" Beth asked as she intertwined her fingers with his. "I've never seen him be more obvious about something."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, dear," Jeff answered aloofly as he looked away from her, his gaze resting on the frozen lake when it came into view. The cold air rushing into his lungs and the peaceful sights around him were refreshing.

Beth laughed a little as she leaned against his arm. She definitely knew that something was up, but she would let Jeff explain it when he was ready.

A few minutes later, their nearly completed new house came into sight, and Beth released Jeff's hand as she ran to stand in front of it. Jeff smiled, hurrying forward to stand with her, and his smile broadened when Beth looked over at him and grinned.

"Look at it, Jeffro," she breathed, her eyes shining with excitement as she turned back to look at the house. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Jeff wrapped her tightly in his arms, holding her close to him as he placed his chin on her shoulder. "Just think about it, Beth," he muttered as he kissed her cheek. "In a couple more weeks, we'll finally be able to move into our own place again."

"I know, isn't it exciting?" Beth sighed with contentment as she leaned back against his chest. "I can't wait."

"Me either." Jeff looked at their house for a long moment before moving his gaze to Beth. The excited smile was still lingering on her face, and he knew that this would be the perfect time to ask her. The only thing was, he wasn't sure how to. Well, he knew now was the opportune moment. It had to be now since he wasn't sure when they were going to have another moment together like this. Maybe if he just started, the rest would come naturally, as Matt had said. "Beth, can I ask you something?"

Sensing the different tone in his voice, Beth slowly looked over at him, her smile being replaced with a look of concern. "Sure, hon," she said. "What is it?"

Jeff laughed a little as he reached into the pocket of his jeans. "Well, what I wanted to ask was… Oops!" As he pulled the ring out of his pocket, he purposely let it slip from between his fingers so that it landed in the snow by Beth's foot. "Here, let me get that…"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm closer. Here." Beth crouched down, reaching into the slight hole that had formed and pulled out the silver ring. "Jeffro, what is this?" she wondered, looking at the small diamond for a moment before she moved her gaze back up at Jeff.

_"You know our love was meant to be_

_The kind of love that lasts forever_

_And I want you here with me_

_From tonight until the end of time…"_

Jeff sighed as he reached down and gently took her hand, slowly lifting her to her feet. This was it- there was no turning back now. "It's what I wanted to ask you," he muttered, still holding her hands in his. "It's a bit complicated."

Beth nodded, still holding the ring she had picked up in her hand. "I'm sure I could catch on," she replied.

_"You're the meaning in my life_

_You're the inspiration_

_You bring feeling to my life_

_You're the inspiration…"_

Jeff stared deeply into Beth's eyes. How could he sum up everything that he felt about her into a few sentences? He wasn't sure, but he was going to have to try. This was the most important moment of his life so far. "You're the most… amazing woman I've ever known, Beth," he said quietly, his gaze only holding hers. "There is no one else I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

Beth looked up at Jeff curiously. There had been many times where he had told her this, but this one felt different. "Jeffro…"

"No, please, hear me out," Jeff gently interrupted, and Beth nodded. "What I mean is… you're the most important person in my life, Beth. You're my inspiration. For all the paintings I do, the songs I write, my inventive moves in the ring… You're the force behind them. You're my everything. You give my life meaning. I need you, Beth. Without you in my life, I'd be nothing."

_"No one needs you more than I need you…"_

Tears formed in Beth's eyes as she glanced down at the hand she tightly held the ring in before looking back into Jeff's stunning green eyes. "What are you asking me?" she whispered.

Jeff sighed, opening Beth's hand so that the silver ring was revealed. "I don't know when or where or even how," he told her as he slowly dropped to one knee in the snow. "But… would you, Elizabeth Britt, consider marrying me?"

Beth bit down on her bottom lip when she heard the question, not able to stop her tears from falling as her shoulders began to shake. She stared deeply into Jeff's eyes, tightening her hand around his as she once again moved her gaze to the ring resting in her palm. For ten years, she had thought about what would happen if Jeff ever asked her to marry him, an event she had dreamed about ever since she was a little girl. And now, when it was actually happening, she could only cry. It was pathetic.

She laughed a little, not even bothering to try to stop her tears as she nodded. Jeff smiled slightly, but before she could actually say the word, she shrieked when a cold snowball hit her in the face. Beth wiped the slushy remains out of her eyes as Jeff stood up and looked over his shoulder when they both heard laughter, and she growled angrily when she saw who was standing a few feet away from them.

"_Shan_!"

"You can't catch me!" Shannon Moore crowed triumphantly as he turned and ran away from the couple.

Jeff laughed a little while Beth sighed and put the ring safely in her jeans pocket. "Shall we kick his ass?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"Let's." Jeff smirked back down at her, and Beth smiled broadly as she began to run after their friend with the younger Hardy close behind her. They bent over and gathered up some snow in their hands while they went, throwing the balls they made after Shannon's retreating back. They both came just a little short as he evaded danger and continued to laugh as he ran out of sight.

"We'll get him later," Jeff muttered with a smile. "Let him go for now."

"I'm not too concerned, Jeffro. Paybacks are a bitch." Beth grinned as she looked up at him again.

But then, she screamed when Jeff wrapped his arms tightly around her again, and they both fell back into the snow. Beth laughed, rolling over and laying on top of him as she wove her legs through his. "Yes."

"Yes what?" Jeff wondered, his green eyes narrowing with confusion as he wound his arms around her.

Beth smiled as she leaned down and kissed his nose. "You asked me a question before, didn't you?" she whispered, feeling more tears coming on. "Well… that's my answer."

Jeff smiled broadly when he understood what she was saying, and he ran his hand through her hair. "Do you have it?"

"Yep. Right here." Beth reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver ring with the small diamond and placed it in Jeff's hand. She then moved and sat in the snow so he could sit up next to her, and Jeff removed the glove from Beth's left hand before slowly slipping the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.

"I love you," Jeff muttered as he looked up into her eyes.

Beth smiled as she placed her now ringed hand on Jeff's cheek, a few tears escaping from her. "I love you too." Then, she leaned forward and met his soft lips in an intense kiss. She knew that it was going to be a long time before they were actually going to be able to get married between working on the new house and her fiancé's hectic wrestling schedule, but she also knew that she didn't care how long she had to wait. She would wait for years if she had to.

She and Jeff were finally engaged, and it was one of the best moments of her life.

**Author's Note**: Wasn't that sweet? I thought that it was high time those two tied the knot, lol. But the song "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago is basically Jeff's proposal in song form, so you should all go listen to it! Haha. So, that was just a sweet chapter before other things start happening… I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	3. Holiday

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter so much! Lol, I love how some of you said you were just waiting until Jeff asked Beth to marry him, haha. Well, in this story anyway, it happened! They're not actually going to get married in this story, but they will just remain engaged. Anyway, thank you so much to **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **-.I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **xOallisonqtOx**, **hardyrhodescenafan1**, **dumwolf16**, and **BubblyShell22** for your awesome reviews! I appreciate them all! So, anyway, onto the next chapter, shall we?

Chapter 3- Holiday

**Artist**: _Green Day_

"I would like to make a toast," Matt said as he raised his beer bottle in the air and stood up at the table where they had just finished eating, "to the cutest recently engaged couple ever, Jeff Hardy and Beth Britt!"

"Shit, Man, I thought you were going to say me and Julie," Shannon teased as he leaned back in his chair.

"You and Julie are already married, Shan," Beth reminded him with a broad smile as Jeff wrapped his hands around hers on top of the table.

Shannon muttered something sarcastically under his breath, but he didn't say anything more.

"Hey, Matt, just don't go broadcasting this to anyone outside of the Core Group, all right?" Jeff asked. "I wanna' keep this low for a while." Beth nodded in agreement. She really didn't want this getting all over the Internet just yet.

Matt grinned as he wrapped his arms around Jeff and Beth. "Anything for my favorite little brother and sister," he answered.

"We're your _only_ brother and sister, Man," Jeff muttered, to which Matt lightly yanked on his ponytail.

"That's beside the point… But anyway, to my toast." Matt straightened up, holding his bottle in the air again. "To Jeff and Beth!"

"Amen!" Shannon, Jeff, and Beth all raised their bottles and clinked them against Matt's before taking a drink from them.

"I wish you health, happiness, and all that shit," Shannon muttered, taking another sip. "Blah, blah, blah…"

Beth laughed a little as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, thanks a lot, Shan," she said sarcastically. "We really appreciate your well-wishes."

Shannon grinned. "Anytime, girl!"

Matt glanced at the electric clock near him before looking out the window. "Hey, Jeffro, did the lake look good for skating on when you were out there?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I think so," Jeff told him. "Why?"

The older Hardy was grinning broadly when he turned back to face his brother. "Because there's something I've been wanting to try that we can use for a future Hardy Show episode if it works," he said excitedly. "Let met just grab what we need."

Jeff, Beth, and Shannon went in the living room and bundled up in their winter attire while Matt ran downstairs to the basement to get some things. He came back up a few minutes later carrying a box of bowling pins he had gotten from a fan who worked at a bowling alley along with a bowling ball. "We're not doing what I think we're doing, are we?" Shannon asked as he laughed when he saw the sports supplies.

"Oh, yeah. You bet we are, Shan," Matt answered with a broad smile as he handed the box of pins to Jeff and the ball to Shannon so he could get his coat, scarf, and gloves on too. "Come on, let's go try this out!"

The four walked along the path the joined the Hardy properties, and once they reached the lake, they found that they had picked a good day to try skating on it, even though they didn't have skates. It was still thick enough to support them, but they could tell that in a few more days, it would begin to thin out. Matt went into the middle of the lake with the pins, being careful not to fall, and quickly set them up like they would be in an bowling alley, pushing the box to the side so it would be out of the way for the time being. Then, he gestured for the others to come join him.

"It's gonna' be like real bowling, except for it's on ice," Matt explained once Jeff, Beth, and Shannon reached him. "Of course, there are no rules, so things could get ugly."

"Matt, this is probably one of the most dangerous things you've every come up with for this show," Beth muttered with a smile as she shook her head.

The older Hardy grinned as he wrapped her up in his arms and gave her a tight bear hug. "Yeah, but that's the point. It'll be fun if it works," he told her. "Don't worry, I'll make sure your fiancé doesn't get hurt."

"Thanks, Matt…"

Matt laughed as he released her as he turned to his best friend and brother. "So, if there are no more objections, let's get started!"

Shannon decided to try first. He took the ball and held it as if he were in a real bowling alley, slid forward a little, and release it. He almost slipped and fell as he struggled to keep his balance, and watched as his throw only knocked over a couple of pins. "Shit, this is hard!"

Matt laughed as he skated over to his younger friend. "Man, let me try!"

The game went on as Matt tried and then Jeff, followed shortly by Shannon again. Since they were on ice, the ball was hard to control, and it often veered way off course and had to be chased down. Beth tried it a couple of times, but she didn't find it as fun as her male companions, so she decided to stand to the side a little and watch them, and even helped them get he ball back every once in a while if it came her direction. This was much more fun. She laughed as they often fell due to lack of balance or because someone else pushed them as they released the ball, and she took out her phone and recorded when Shannon threw all caution to the wind and got a running start before sliding on the ice on his stomach and knocked the pins over himself.

While Matt and Shannon set up the pins again after that, Jeff made his way over to Beth and lightly took her hand, pulling her gently along with him. "Where are we going?" she asked, tightening her hand around his as she moved forward to stay beside him.

Jeff shrugged as he smiled down at her. "I thought you might just want to skate around a little," he answered. "It would be more fun than just standing there doing nothing.

"Yeah, I guess," Beth agreed as she returned the smile. "Especially with you." Jeff's green eyes shone at her words, and he pulled Beth a little closer to him.

As they continued to move together, Beth looked down at her left gloved hand, able to see the ring sticking up on her finger a little through the material. She still couldn't believe that she was actually engaged. It was one of the best feelings in the world, but yet, it was still so surreal. She then had to wonder if it would ever fully sink in. Probably not, at least, not until she said "I do." When that was going to be, she didn't know, but she also knew she didn't care how long she had to wait.

Then, Beth shrieked with surprise when she felt herself beginning to slip, but a sturdy hand reached out and grabbed her arm before she could fall. She looked up into Jeff's smiling face, and she couldn't help but smile also when she could feel the deep love radiating from his green eyes.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't let you fall, Beth," he muttered as he pulled her up so she was standing straight again. "Not when I'm here to catch you."

That statement struck a chord in Beth's mind, and she smiled as she took Jeff's hands. "And there won't come a time when you won't be," she whispered.

Jeff nodded in agreement, tenderly brushing her hair out of her face. "That's right."

Beth sighed with contentment at his loving touch, but suddenly, a snowball hit the back of her head. She angrily turned around to see that Shannon was standing in the snow not too far from them, laughing triumphantly when he saw that he had successfully hit his target. But then, he immediately stopped when he saw the fury radiating from Beth, knowing that she could be a real she-devil if provoked.

"Oh, shit…" Shannon then turned and ran toward the trees, Beth close behind him. She wasn't going to let him get away that time, not after what he had done to her that morning.

Jeff laughed as Matt skated over to him, and they both watched as Shannon and Beth picked a tree to hide behind and began making snowballs to throw at each other. "Should we join them?" the younger Hardy asked, his smile broadening when he watched Beth throw one in Shannon's face.

"Yeah, let's," Matt answered with a nod. "A snowball fight will be fun."

"All right, then." Jeff got off the ice and ran to go find another tree close to Beth to hide behind so he could join in the battle, and Matt went back into the middle of the ice to pick up the pins and ball from their first ever game of ice bowling. It had been a lot of fun and also generated a lot of laughs from those involved, so he would definitely have to make a Hardy Show episode out of it since it had been such a success.

Once he was done packing everything back up, Matt began to skate in the direction of where the others were, but he stopped and stared down at the ice beneath his feet in horror when flashes from his nightmare came rushing back to him. Jeff lying on the ice, bleeding… him working frantically to try to save him… Jeff's life slipping away beneath his hands… his brother's crimson blood staining his fingers…

But then, Matt shook his head as he forced the dark thoughts away when he heard Shannon laughing when Jeff jumped in front of Beth to save her from getting hit by one of their younger friend's "super snowballs." It had been a noble sacrifice, and his brother was back with a vengeance as he threw a hidden snowball he had behind his back in Shannon's chest. Wanting to just have fun with them and forget about his nightmare, Matt laughed a little himself as he got of the ice and ran over to join in the fray.

The snowball fight soon turned into an all-out war, and it only ended when the sun began to set and it was too cold to continue on. The four walked back to the house, where Lucas happily greeted them as soon as they walked through the door. They left their wet coats, gloves, and scarves hanging over the chairs in the kitchen or on the counter to dry, and Matt turned on the fireplace in the living room while Beth made chicken noodle soup for everyone to warm them up.

"Do not spill on the couch or the floor, or I swear, you are kicked out of this house," Beth threatened, mainly to Shannon, as she began to pass out the steaming bowls of soup to the three men. She was tired from the long day of outside activity and wasn't really in the mood for cleaning up after them.

"Yes, _Mommy_," Shannon said as he took the bowl from her, earning a smack to the back of the head. "Ow! I thought you said you _didn't_ want us to spill…"

"You had better not if you know what's good for you."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful, Beth," Jeff assured her when she sat down on the couch next to him. She gave him a smile as she curled up against his side, begging to carefully eat her soup so she wouldn't burn herself.

They all finished their soup without incident, and then they watched Rob Zombie's remake of "Halloween" before Shannon decided it was time he headed home. It was getting late, and he had to wake up early the next day to open Gas Chamber Ink. Plus, he was missing Julie.

"Look, I may joke around a lot," Shannon said when Beth walked him to the kitchen to make sure he got everything, slipping his mostly dry coat on. "But I am really happy for you and Jeff, and I wish you all the best."

"Aww, thanks, Shan!" Beth replied, leaning forward and hugging him tightly. "That really means a lot."

"And I do mean it." As Shannon held Beth close to him, he couldn't help but think about how they had almost lost her three months before. It had been a frightening time for all of them, and he was just relieved that she was able to be here and be engaged to his best friend. They had a bright future ahead of them. "It's going to be great," he told her as he released her and ruffled her hair playfully. "But I had _better_ be a groomsman at the wedding."

"Don't worry, you will be," Beth assured him with a nod, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes. "Thanks so much, Shan."

"You're welcome."

"What are you guys talking about?"

Beth and Shannon turned and watched as Matt entered the kitchen with Jeff behind him, both looking at them curiously. "Beth and I were just discussing how we are going to kick your ass next time we play ice bowling, Matt!" Shannon said, giving Beth a high-five as she laughed. He usually didn't like to show his caring side too much, especially around Matt and Jeff.

Jeff smirked at the competitiveness in his friend's voice while Matt laughed confidently. "In your dreams, Man!"

Shannon laughed too. "Well, that remains to be seen," he said. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Shan." Jeff high-fived his younger friend as he passed him. "Drive safe."

"I always do, Man!"

Matt smiled and shook his head, watching as Shannon left the house before turning his attention back to Jeff and Beth. "It's when he says things like that we need to be most concerned about him," he muttered, laughing along with Jeff and Beth at the truth in that statement.

The rest of the night went by relatively quietly. Matt decided to take Lucas outside one more time, and they made plans to watch "A Christmas Story" before they went to bed since it was a tradition to watch it around the holidays. While he went out with his baby, Beth made hot chocolate for her and Jeff, marshmallows included, and brought them back to the couch where they had been sitting. The living room was now quiet and peaceful, lit only by the fireplace and the colored lights from the Christmas tree in the corner. Beth took a cautious sip of the hot beverage before looking down at the ring on her left hand. She typically wasn't much of a jewelry wearer, but the ring was not huge and was beautiful because it was so simple. It was a perfect fit for her.

"I still can't believe it," she muttered, resting her head on Jeff's shoulder.

"Hmm?" Jeff wrapped his arm around her and held her close to him as he took a sip of hot chocolate.

Beth smiled up him. "I can't believe that we're actually engaged," she told him with a shake of her head. "It's unreal…"

"I know. It hasn't sunk in for me yet either," Jeff replied, setting his mug on the small table next to him before completely wrapping Beth up in his arms. "The only thing is, I don't know when we'll actually be able to go through with the wedding, as I told you earlier. My schedule with the WWE is so hectic, and there's quite a long time yet before my contract ends where I could get time off. I'm lucky that I was able to get his week off to work on finishing up the house. But I can promise you that we will have a great life ahead of us, Beth."

"I don't care how long I have to wait, Jeffro," Beth murmured, kissing his cheek. "I've waited this long, haven't I? I think I can wait a little longer."

Jeff smiled back down at her, feeling reassured as he tenderly ran his fingers over her cheek before he leaned down forward and met her lips in a quick, gentle kiss. Beth set her mug down on the table also, moving closer to Jeff as she kissed him again with more intensity. He held her close, resting his forehead against hers for a moment before catching her lips again.

But then, they reluctantly had to break it when the younger Hardy's cell phone went off. Jeff sighed, still holding Beth close to him as he reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He didn't recognize the number, but he answered the call anyway. It could have been important. Maybe it was Shannon calling from a pay phone because he had slid off the road and couldn't find his cell phone or something. "Hello?"

Jeff's eyes narrowed when he didn't hear anything for a long moment. "Hello?" Still, no response.

He sighed again, but before he could say anything more or hang up, there was a soft click on the other end, and the line went dead.

**Author's Note**: Hmm… That doesn't sound too promising. But even though this was more of a fun, lighthearted chapter, it sets things up for what's to come. There were little clues thrown in this one about what could be happening, so look for them carefully! And you know with the Hardys, things can't stay good for long… Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you!


	4. Voices

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! I'm gonna' have to be quick since I'm pretty short on time. Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter, I appreciate them all! You guys all rock! Just as a note, this chapter is posted in honor of all those who lost their lives on September 11 during the tragedy. And yes, the song I used for this chapter is Randy Orton's theme song, lol. So, as I said before, if you're the Hardys, things can go _very_ wrong _very_ quickly…

Chapter 4- Voices

**Artist**: _Rev Theory_

Matt sighed as he closed the front door behind him and locked it, watching as Lucas went to his basket near the fireplace. He saw that his brother and Beth had already gone up to their bedroom since the living room was empty, which he found a bit odd since they were supposed to watch a second movie. But, that's where he truly wanted to be too, warm in his own bed. A good night's sleep sounded ideal after the rough night he had. They could watch the movie another night.

He unplugged the Christmas tree in the corner, casting the room into darkness, but before he could go upstairs, he noticed that Jeff's cell phone was still sitting on the couch when it caught the slight moonlight coming in the window. Knowing that he should have it, Matt quickly grabbed it before climbing up the stairs to the second floor, planning on just leaving it on the dresser for him so he wouldn't disturb the couple.

But when he approached the room that they were using, Matt paused with his hand on the knob, having the feeling that something was off. Not sure what it was but feeling a bit anxious now, he slowly pushed open the door and cautiously entered. In the dim light coming in from the moon, Matt saw that Jeff and Beth were lying in bed, and he sighed with relief as he quietly set the cell phone on the dresser.

However, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was wrong that he couldn't ignore. Matt hesitantly reached out, placing his finger beneath the light switch for a long moment before flipping it up and casting bright light into the room. After his eyes adjusted to the sudden contrast, he yelled out in fear when he looked back at the bed.

There was blood everywhere. Jeff, his throat slit and his eyes frozen open, was lying on his back covering Beth protectively, but it had done little good since her throat was also slit, her unseeing eyes seeming to stare right at him. Matt weakly sank to his knees, his head spinning as he stared at the sight before him in shock. This couldn't be happening…

Though he desperately wanted to tear his eyes away from the bodies, there was one thing that Matt noticed about them that he couldn't look away from.

They were both covered in pins.

* * *

"Hey, Man. Wake up."

Matt quickly opened his eyes and looked around anxiously, seeing that he was sitting slumped in a chair in the living room and Jeff was standing next to him. Judging by the credits that were on the television, he had fallen asleep sometime during the movie after he had brought Lucas back in. The last thing he remembered seeing was a kid getting his tongue stuck to an icy pole. But thank God the terrifying images he had just seen had only been a dream…

Then, the older Hardy blinked in surprise when Jeff knelt down in front of him, blocking his vision. He looked concerned. "What's up, Jeffro?"

"I've known something's been wrong ever since we came back from Los Angeles three months ago that you haven't told us about," Jeff muttered, his green eyes determined not to let it slide any longer. "It seems that something is heavy on your conscience with all these nightmares you've been having. You said that Eric Howe killed me in those dreams, and I'm willing to bet the same thing just happened in this one. So, tell me. What happened in the apartment building?"

Matt knew that he would never fail to be amazed by Jeff's almost supernatural perceptiveness of him. He just wished he wouldn't have caught on to _this_. But, he knew that he wouldn't be able to avoid telling him the truth now, not when he was confronting him. Sighing, he sat up straighter in the chair, putting his head into his hands. "I… I killed Eric Howe…" he mumbled.

"What?" Jeff leaned a bit closer to Matt, not hearing what he had said.

"I killed Eric Howe," Matt repeated a bit louder, slowly raising his gaze to the younger Hardy as a few tears fell from his eyes. He wasn't surprised to see the complete shock on Jeff's face at those four words.

But before either brother could say a word, there was the sound of breaking glass, and they turned to the living room entryway and saw that Beth was staring at Matt with fear, her face pale. She ignored the broken glass at her feet as she shakily moved around it to stand in the corner by the Christmas tree. "Oh, God…"

"Britt, I'm sorry," Matt muttered quickly, hurt crossing his face as he watched her. "I was going to say something, but-!"

"And you just bothered to tell us this _now_?!" Jeff demanded fiercely, his tone making Matt cringe. "Matt, why the fuck didn't you say something before?"

Matt sighed again. "I… I didn't know what you would think of me… I know he was a bad man, but still…"

Jeff also sighed and hung his head for a long moment without saying a word or a glance at his brother. "_Fuck_," he hissed as he pushed himself to his feet and walked into the kitchen. He then cried out in agitation as he slammed his hands down on the counter.

Beth flinched when she heard the loud sound, but then her anxious gaze moved back to the older Hardy. "Matt, do you have any idea what this means?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking.

Matt slowly nodded. "Yeah. It means that Brittany will be pissed at us when she's released from prison," he answered, not able to meet her eyes.

"Damn right she will be!" Jeff snapped, leaning against the living room entryway with his arms crossed. "I mean, she was fucking crazy to begin with, but what is she going to be like when she knows that _you_ fucking killed her father?! Shit, Man…"

"I know. I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier. I know I should have. I was just so afraid of what… of what _you_ would…" Matt's sentenced trailed off when his voice got chocked up by tears that fell quickly from his dark eyes as he hung his head. HE knew that his younger brother had every right to be angry since this new, startling information put them, most importantly Beth, in danger. It was just difficult to be on the receiving end of his fury, even though he expected it. "It was… an accident…"

Beth watched sadly as silent sobs shook Matt, and she sighed as she crossed the room and knelt down next to the chair he sat in, placing her hand lightly on his arm. She gave him a slight smile when he slowly raised his head to look over at her. "What happened, Matt?" she wondered gently. She knew that the older Hardy would never purposely do something as terrible as taking a life, so she fully believed him when she said it was an accident.

Matt took a deep, steadying breath to calm himself down as he wiped his tears away. He was relieved for Beth's gentleness. "It was just him and I on the stairs," he began to explain, seeing those few moments so clearly it was like he was going through it all again. "I was furious, I admit, but even after all the shit he had done, I still had no intention of killing him…"

"I know that, Matt, and so does Jeff," Beth muttered encouragingly when she saw tears form in his eyes again, tightening her hand on his arm. "Just tell us what happened."

The older Hardy nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat as he forced his tears back. "As I said, it was just the two of us on the stairs," he tried again. "We were heading up to the fourth floor, which at that time was almost completely consumed by flames. We exchanged a few hits, and finally, I punched him about three times, one right after the other. But, the last one was a bit more forceful than the others, and… and he stumbled back onto the steps. Then… then he just got entirely set on fire… I still see it when I close my eyes, Britt. I can still hear his scream when he ran up to the fourth floor… It's like a voice in my head, continually taunting me, reminding me so I can't forget… I try to keep the thoughts away, but they are still there, coming out in other ways…"

"Like your nightmares," Jeff said kindly as he slowly approached the chair and leaned on its back. He had calmed down, and judging by the band-aid on his finger, he had just finished cleaning up the glass that Beth had dropped. Matt nodded in agreement.

"What happened in the nightmares?" Beth asked, looking from Hardy to Hardy.

Jeff sighed when Matt slowly shook his head, knowing that he wouldn't be able to explain them at the moment. "In the dreams, Eric Howe is still alive," he answered quietly for him, taking Beth's free hand in his. "And… he kills me."

"And Britt in the last one," Matt added in nearly a whisper. "He got her too…"

Beth's face paled when she heard this, tightening her hand around Jeff's. "Well, fortunately, they're only dreams," she muttered, feeling reassured when Jeff tightened his hand around hers too. "And besides, it'll be a long time yet before Brittany is released from prison."

Matt nodded. "That's true," he agreed quietly. "No use worrying about that until we get there, I guess…"

Jeff sighed, his green eyes resting on the flames in the fireplace intently. He still couldn't believe that his brother had killed another man. What was worse was that he hadn't told him. He didn't think badly of Matt because of the incident since it had been an incident, but he wished he had told him before. Then, he could have at least been prepared. The younger Hardy was unsure of what Brittany would do since she probably knew her father's death was their fault, but what angered him was that Beth was now in danger because of it.

Then, he jumped a little when his cell phone suddenly went off, breaking the tense silence. Recognizing the ringtone, Jeff pulled it out of his pocket with his free hand and answered the call. "What's up, Shan?"

"_Man, I left my wallet on your kitchen counter,_" Shannon told him. "_I took it out so it wouldn't get wet while we were outside. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but I have some important papers for Gas Chamber Ink in there that I need for the morning._"

Jeff glanced at the electric clock near him to check the time. "Where are you now?" he asked.

Shannon laughed a little. "_Well, I was actually in the house when I realized it,_" he answered. "_I'm on my way back to your place now._"

"I could meet you halfway there if that would be easier," Jeff suggested. Besides, he needed to get out for a little while and clear his head. "It won't take as long that way."

"_You're a lifesaver, Man,_" Shannon said with clear relief. "_I owe you one. Should we meet in our typical spot?_" This hadn't been the first time where he had met Jeff halfway between their houses before when he had forgotten something.

Jeff smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it, Man," he replied. "I'll see you in a bit at the typical meeting point."

"_Okay, see you in a bit. Bye._"

"Bye." Jeff ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket with a sigh.

"What was that about?" Beth wondered.

"Shannon forgot his wallet here," Jeff answered as he released her hand and went to the kitchen to grab it. "I'm going to meet him halfway so he doesn't have to drive so far." He found it in the corner of the counter, right where his younger friend said it would be. After grabbing it and putting it safely in his pocket, Jeff went back to the living room closet to get his winter coat.

"Drive carefully, okay, Jeffro?" Beth muttered as she joined him.

"Don't worry, I will," Jeff assured her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her quickly. "I'll call you when I'm on the way home, okay?"

Beth looked up into his green eyes for a long moment before kissing him again. "Okay, hon."

Jeff smiled, running his hand through her hair. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too." Beth took his hand in hers, and Jeff's gaze lingered on the silver ring on her left hand before he released her and left through the door into the cold night air outside. "I'll be home soon."

Sighing, Beth closed the door behind him and went to the window, watching as Jeff got into his car, started it, and backed out of the driveway. She finally turned away only when he was out of sight on the dark street, sitting on the couch without a word. It wasn't her fiancé's driving that concerned her. It was the fact that the roads were still icy in spots, which was difficult to see, especially at night. Though she kept telling herself that Jeff was going to be all right since he was a cautious winter driver, she was still worried. It was a fear only to be calmed when he walked through the front door again.

Matt watched Beth carefully as she began to tap her fingers nervously on the arm of the couch. The glint of silver on her ring finger continued to catch his attention, and he knew that her father's death wasn't going to be the only thing Brittany Howe would be angry at them for.

* * *

_"I killed Eric Howe…"_

Jeff sighed as he tossed his cigarette out the window once he was done with it and turned up the radio when he heard the Rev Theory song begin. He still couldn't believe that Matt hadn't told him what had happened in that apartment building for three months. Did he not trust him? This was a major thing that now put them all in danger. Wasn't that worth sharing?

_"You've got your rules and your religion_

_All designed to keep you safe_

_But when rules start getting broken_

_You start questioning your faith…"_

That was definitely true. Jeff sighed again as he took one hand off the wheel and quickly rubbed his tired eyes and shook his head. He knew he had to stop dwelling on the anger, the betrayal he was feeling toward Matt and focus on what he could now do to prevent something from happening to the two most important people in his life. They were Brittany's likely targets since she wouldn't want to hurt him. But for now, it was best that he not worry about it since the psycho bitch was still in prison.

He was relieved that he was almost at the halfway point to meet Shannon so he could rest up for a couple of minutes. He was finally starting to feel his exhaustion catching up with him.

_"I hear voices cryin'_

_I see heroes dyin'_

_I taste blood that's dryin'_

_I feel tension risin'…"_

Then, Jeff turned down the radio a bit when his cell phone began to go off. He reached over to the passenger seat where he kept it for easy access and glanced down at the number after he picked it up. He didn't know it, but keeping his eyes on the road, he answered the call anyway and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Silence. The younger Hardy sighed, frustrated that this was the second time this person had called him and said absolutely nothing. He wasn't even going to give them another "hello" and was just going to hang up.

But before he could, a quiet, female voice could be heard on the other end. "_You took my father…_"

Jeff froze when he heard the voice. It was very familiar to him, but at that moment, he couldn't place it for the life of him. "Who is this?" he muttered.

But the voice didn't answer his question. "_You broke my heart…_"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jeff demanded, his anxiety rising as his hand clenched tightly on the wheel. "Who the fuck are you?"

"_You hurt my feelings…_"

Then, Jeff took a sharp intake of breath when he suddenly realized who he was talking to. How she was calling him, he wasn't sure… "_Brittany_?!"

There was a moment's pause on the other end, and Jeff knew that he was right. This wasn't good. If she was able to call him, was she out of prison somehow? Where was she? Jeff strained his ear, wondering if she would say anything more even though he wanted to hang up. He found himself hanging on her every word.

"_And now, you will regret it._"

"Wait… Brittany, wait!" Jeff said, but he was too late. There was a soft click, and he was met with eerie silence. Feeling very unnerved by the threat she had left him with, the younger Hardy put his cell phone in his pocket this time, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat as he slowly raised his hand and put it on the wheel, his eyes glued intently to the road ahead. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Brittany who had just called him. She sounded the same as before once he realized who she was, except there was one major difference.

The childlike innocence in her tone was gone, and instead, there was something much more dangerous- malice.

Suddenly, Jeff's eyes widened with fear when he saw a dark figure standing in the middle of the road in front of him, merely staring at him as the car approached. "Shit!" he hissed, swerving to the right to avoid hitting the person since he didn't have enough time to stop. Fortunately, he didn't hit the idiot, but when he braked to try to slow down, the tires caught an unseen patch of ice. Jeff frantically fought to try to keep the car in control, but it was no use.

He was only able to watch helplessly as his car veered off the road, heading straight for a tree right in front of him. The last thing he saw before the collision was Beth's beautiful, smiling face in his mind.

**Author's Note**: For those of you asking for a cliffhanger… there you go, lol. It's the first of a few more to come. But see how fast things can turn bad? It's not looking good for them… Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	5. Paralyzer

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Sorry I couldn't update sooner after that cliffie! I actually didn't have this chapter done until this weekend, but I am a bit ahead now, so hopefully, at least the next chapter should be up a bit sooner than the last if everything works out with homework. As with the whole Jeff Hardy thing… I'm still a firm Jeff supporter- always have been, always will be. Simple as that. I personally don't think that it's as bad as the media is portraying it since the media manipulates stories (I was in a communications program at my high school for all four years, so I know all about journalism and the media), and I'm anxiously waiting for the truth to come out. Anyway, now that that's out of the way, thank you so much to **dumwolf16**, **BubblyShell22**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **ASHLEY KELLEY**, **xOallisonqtOx**, and **-.I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-** for your awesome reviews! I really appreciate them! So, onto the next chapter! Is Jeff okay? You're about to find out!

Chapter 5- Paralyzer

**Artist**: _Finger Eleven_

Shannon tapped the steering wheel with his fingers as he nodded to the song that was blaring on the radio. He was almost at the halfway point to meet Jeff, which he was glad about since he needed those papers for Gas Chamber Ink in the morning. Getting his wallet wouldn't have been such a big deal that night if they weren't in it. He smiled when he saw a pair of headlights approaching him from the opposite direction, knowing it was his best friend. They were usually the only two who took this small side road, especially at this hour, since it was their meeting point. That was when he began to sing along with the song a little since his mission was almost complete.

"Well I'm not paralyzed, but I seem to be struck by you, I wanna' make you move because you're standin' still…"

Suddenly, Shannon braked when he saw a dark figure standing in the middle of the road some distance ahead of him. "Fucking idiot," he muttered, slowly coming to a safe stop so he wouldn't run into them. "Do you _wanna_' get hit? Dumbass…"

But then, his eyes widened in horror when he saw the car he now definitely recognized to be Jeff's swerve to the side to avoid hitting the person since he was much closer to them than he was and wasn't able to stop in time. Shannon's heart raced anxiously when he heard the loud squealing of tires as the other car tried to brake but couldn't because of the ice, finally colliding with a tree on the side of the road.

"_Shit_!" Shannon immediately turned off his car, not minding that he was stopped in the middle of the lane, and climbed out, running as fast as he could toward Jeff's car. He slipped on the ice a few times, but continued to get back up as he hurried toward his friend. In his anxiousness, he hardly even noticed that the person they had both almost hit was gone.

* * *

Jeff groaned as he tried to move, surprisingly finding that it came easier than he expected. He looked around as if in a daze, looking at the steaming hood of his car through the shattered windshield with dread. But, he wasn't hurt, at least badly, and that was the important thing. His insurance would cover the car.

The younger Hardy tried to move again, but he found that the seatbelt was jammed and that there was also a slight tear in the belt right above where it was stuck. Jeff easily tore the rest of it, opening his door as he slid out of his seatbelt and stumbled out of his crashed car to the ground, looking at the night around him nervously. There had been someone standing in the middle of the road, which had made him crash. He was sure of it, though they didn't appear to be there now. And though he hadn't been able to see their face, he had seen their eyes. They were dark and deranged…

"Jeff!"

At the sound of his name, Jeff looked up and watched as his best friend approached him, sliding on the ice a little as he tried to keep his balance before kneeling next to him. "Shan…"

"God, are you all right?" Shannon asked anxiously, placing his hand on the younger Hardy's shoulder as he looked him over. "Shit, Man, you're lucky you walked out of that… You're bleeding on your forehead a bit, though. Here." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a couple of Kleenex. "It's a good thing I carry some with me. They're not used, so you can relax."

Jeff sighed as Shannon dabbed at the cut he had gotten on his forehead. "Did you see someone, Shan?" he muttered. "I think it was a man standing in the middle of the road…"

Shannon rolled his eyes with agitation. "Yeah, I saw him, though his back was to me," he replied. "Fucking dumbass… Did you get a look at his face? You could sue the bastard for reckless endangerment, or some shit…"

Well, at least he hadn't just been imagining it. There really had been someone there. "No, I didn't see his face," Jeff said quietly. "I saw a glint of his eyes, though…"

"Yeah, but that wouldn't help you in a court of law." Shannon grinned at his attempted joke. "Anyway, if you can hold a Kleenex to against your head, I can help you get out of her and back home. We can call your insurance place tomorrow, I guess, since they wouldn't be open this late."

Jeff laughed a little. "What about the police, Man?" he wondered, taking the Kleenex from his younger friend.

"Does it look like I give a rat's ass about the police?" Shannon countered, and Jeff had to admit that no, it really didn't. "Look, what I'm most concerned about is getting you home. I have a pocket notebook in my car. We'll leave a note or something… Stay here, and I'll go get it."

The younger Hardy sighed as he watched Shannon carefully walk to his car before pressing the Kleenex against his forehead and closing his eyes. His head was pounding from the impact, but he also knew Shannon was right. He was lucky to be walking out of that collision and wasn't paralyzed from the waist down or even something worse. Though he was really grateful, Jeff still looked nervously at the night around him for any sign of the man he had almost hit. There was something about the little he saw of his eyes that greatly disturbed him.

"Okay, how does this sound?" Shannon asked as he came back over to him, and Jeff found himself feeling better that he was there. "It's addressed to whoever finds this, and I basically said that we're _not_ drunk, and instead, there was some man standing in the road who didn't move when the car was approaching, so we had to swerve to miss him and skidded on the ice into the tree, and we will also call the insurance company in the morning. Then, I signed our names."

Jeff looked over the note after Shannon ripped it out and handed it to him. It was straightforward and to the point, at least. "Your handwriting almost makes it look like we're drunk anyway, Shan," he muttered as he laughed a little.

Shannon rolled his eyes as he snatched the paper back from him. "Well, let the police think what they want, then," he said as he put the note beneath the wiper on the back windshield of the crashed car since it was a bit more intact than the front. "But as I said, the important thing is getting you home. Come on, let's go."

The younger man then proceeded to take Jeff's arm and put it around his neck and wound his other arm behind his back for support before slowly and carefully lifting him to his feet. Jeff winced when he straightened completely up, finding that his enter body was shooting with pain. "You okay, Man?" Shannon wondered as he paused.

"Fine," Jeff told him after a moment, taking a deep breath. "Just really sore…"

"I'm not surprised after an impact like that. You'll be sore for a while," Shannon replied. "It'll probably be even worse in the morning. Fortunately, I have some Ibuprofen in the car I take with me for long road trips that you're welcome to have if you can swallow pills without water. But, we need to get you there first, so let's go."

The two friends began to slowly walk in the direction of Shannon's car, being careful not to slip on the ice as they went. Jeff mainly leaned on Shannon for support since his knee was also really sore, but Shannon didn't mind as he continued to lead him along. But then, Jeff suddenly stopped. Hold on a minute, Shan."

"What's up, Man?" Shannon looked over at him with confusion.

Jeff reached into his pocket and pulled out Shannon's wallet. "Here," he muttered, holding it out to him.

Shannon laughed as he shook his head a little. "You really are something else, you know that?" he said as he took the wallet from him and put it in his pocket before he brought him over to the car. He opened the passenger side door first, lowering Jeff carefully down into the seat before shutting it behind him and walking around the front and climbing in behind the wheel. He then reached across him and opened the glove compartment, pulling out the bottle of pain relievers he had talked about.

"If you can take them without something to drink, feel free to take a couple," Shannon said.

"Thanks, Man." Jeff poured two in his hand before putting the bottle back in the glove compartment as Shannon started the car and began driving. He swallowed them with some difficulty, but it was worth it to try to fight the pain the rest of his body was feeling. "I should call Beth. She's probably freaking out."

"How is your cell phone?" Shannon wondered. "If it's not working, you can use mine."

Wondering if it had survived the collision, Jeff pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "It works," he muttered, surprised as he scrolled through his contact list to find his fiancée's number. "I must not have hit it when I crashed."

Shannon smiled. "That's good," he said. "Damn, Man, after a crash like that, you're luck to even be walking, much less having a working cell phone on top of it."

Jeff smiled too. "Yeah, I guess it's just luck," he agreed quietly. He found Beth's number, but before he could call it, he paused when he suddenly remembered what had happened before his crash. "I'm not sure if that man being there was a coincidence, Shan."

"What do you mean?" Shannon turned to glance at him for a moment before looking back at the road ahead. It wouldn't be good if they crashed both cars.

Sighing, Jeff slowly looked over at his best friend. "I mean it might not have been a coincidence that man was there to make me crash," he explained hoarsely. "I got a call from Brittany Howe right before he stepped into the street."

* * *

Beth nervously walked from the couch in the living room to the table in the kitchen and back, fighting the urge to start her bad habit of biting her nails when she was nervous again. She just couldn't help but be concerned. She knew how long it generally took to reach the halfway point between their home in Cameron and Shannon's in Whispering Pines since she had gone with Jeff before, and it usually didn't take this long. And the fact that he hadn't called made her even more nervous.

"Britt, I'm sure he would have called if things _weren't_ okay," Matt muttered from the chair as he watched her, taking a sip of beer. "Why don't you sit before you wear a hole in the floor?"

"I'm sorry, Matt," Beth replied with a sigh, leaning on the back of the couch. "I just can't help but be worried, okay?" She didn't think it would do much good to tell him that it was possible that Jeff hadn't called because he _couldn't_. No use worrying him too… Then, she looked down at the silver ring on her left hand when it caught the light from the fireplace. Her gaze saddened as she bit down on her bottom lip. _Please be okay, Jeffro…_

Matt sighed as he looked at her sadly, but before he could say something to try to comfort her, they both heard her cell phone go off. Beth quickly pulled it out, instantly recognizing the ringtone, and answered the call. "Jeffro, what's going on?"

"_I'm sorry I didn't call sooner, Beth,_" Jeff told her, and she knew he could hear her worry. "_But there's been a bit of an accident…_"

Beth's stomach tightened painfully at his words. "What happened?" she asked quickly.

"_It's a little hard to explain,_" Jeff answered quietly. "_When I was almost at the meeting point, there was a man standing in the middle of the road, not moving when I got close. So, I had to swerve so I wouldn't hit him, and the car slipped on a patch of ice and crashed into a tree._"

"Oh, my God… Are you okay?" Beth leaned a bit more on the couch, feeling her legs get a bit weaker. Jeff had been in an accident?

"_I'm fine, Beth, it's okay,_" Jeff calmly reassured her. "_I don't have any major injuries, and the insurance will cover the car._"

"_He's just got a cut on his forehead and a sore knee._" That was Shannon's voice. The phone must have been on speaker. "_He'll probably be sore for a few days, but other than that, he'll be fine._"

Beth sighed with relief. "Oh, thank God… So, you're with Shan now, I hear," she muttered.

"_Yeah, he got there when I did and saw everything,_" Jeff told her. "_We're almost at the house now._"

"That's good," Beth said. "But why would some fucking idiot be standing in the road like that?" Now that she knew that Jeff was okay, her feeling of anxiousness was starting to be replaced with anger at the whole situation. Jeff could have been seriously hurt, or worse.

"_I'm not sure, Beth, but there is something else that we need to talk about._"

Beth began to feel nervous again at the darker tone to her fiancé's voice. "What is it, hon?" she wondered.

Jeff sighed. "_It's something that I need to talk to both you and Matt about at once,_" he explained. "_We're about to pull onto the road that leads to the house, so I'll see you in a couple minutes, okay?_"

"Okay," Beth agreed reluctantly, her nerves now on high alert. "I love you, Jeffro."

"_I love you too. See you soon._"

"See you soon." Beth ended the call and put her phone back in her pocket, sighing as she ran her hand through her hair. She couldn't believe this was happening…

"What happened, Britt?" Matt asked as he got to his feet. He was feeling very nervous now.

Beth turned to look at him as she wrapped her arms around her, fighting the urge to scream as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes. "Jeff was in an accident," she muttered as she hurried toward the front door.

"_What_?!"

She ignored the older Hardy's outburst as she slipped her shoes on, not even bothering with going into the closet to get her coat, before she went outside into the night to wait for Jeff. Beth shivered in the cold air, her breath forming in front of her as she walked across the snow-covered lawn to stand in the driveway as she searched for the headlights that would bring Shannon's car to her. Even though her entire body was trembling from the chill, she hardly noticed the cold as she stared intently at the road ahead, a couple of tears leaking from her eyes. Her main concern was that Jeff was home safe.

Then, she gasped with surprise when a heavy blanket fell on her shoulders. Beth looked to her left, seeing that Matt was now standing beside her with a small smile on his face. She weakly returned it, grateful for the blanket's warmth as she pulled it closer around her while Matt wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his side. Beth sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. His older brother protectiveness was comforting to her.

"Thanks, Matt," she whispered.

"You're welcome, Britt."

They waited for a few moments in silence, and then Beth tensed when she saw a set of headlights as Shannon's car turned and pulled into their driveway. She raised her head from Matt's shoulder, watching as the car was shut off before the passenger door opened and Jeff stepped out.

"Jeff!" Beth left Matt's side as she quickly but carefully moved down the slippery driveway, relieved when Jeff pulled her into his arms and held her close. A few more tears fell from her eyes as she lightly wrapped her arms around him, remembering what Shannon had said about him being sore, and he only tightened his arms around her.

"What are you doing out here without a coat?" Jeff asked her quietly with a slight laugh as he brushed some hair out of her pale face, noticing that she was only wearing her short-sleeved shirt under the heavy blanket that was wrapped around her. "You're gonna' freeze…"

Beth laughed a little also as she wiped her tears away, looking up at Jeff with concern. "You're worried about me, and you're the one who was just involved in an accident," she muttered, running her thin fingers over the cut on his forehead.

Jeff smiled as he took her hand and gently lowered it, kissing her fingers. "I'll be fine," he told her. "But let's get you into the house."

After a moment, Beth sighed as she nodded, winding her arm around Jeff's waist as she slowly began to lead him to the house. She immediately noticed that he had to lean on her a little for support due to his knee, but she didn't mind. She was just relieved that he was still walking.

Beth opened the front door once they got to it, letting Jeff go in first. She helped him take off his coat and shoes, and then she walked into the living room, sitting him down on the couch before taking her place next to him. He wound his arm around her while she wrapped the blanket Matt had given her around both of them, moving as close as she could to him.

Shannon and Matt came in a minute later, and after hanging up their coats, they sat in the chairs across from Beth and Jeff. From the sound of it, their younger friend was just finishing telling the older Hardy about the incident with the man standing in the middle of the road.

"Why would some fucking idiot be standing in the road like that?" Matt demanded angrily, looking over at his brother with concern.

Jeff shrugged. "But, as I told Beth, I wasn't seriously hurt, and the damage to the car will be covered by the insurance."

Shannon sighed as he looked at the younger Hardy also. "Maybe it would make more sense if you told them about the phone call you got right before," he muttered hesitantly.

"Phone call? What phone call?" Beth wondered, looking up at Jeff.

"That… was what I wanted to tell you and Matt about," Jeff said, wincing a little when he shifted positions. "Before the man appeared in the road and I had to swerve to avoid hitting him, I got a phone call. It… it was from Brittany."

A shocked silence lingered in the room after his statement. "Brittany?" Matt repeated in disbelief as he leaned forward. "_The _Brittany? Like, the Brittany that took Britt three months ago?"

"The one and only," Shannon told him unenthusiastically.

Beth's face paled, able to see the girl's face, along with all that she had done, in her mind. "What did she say?" she whispered.

Jeff tightened his arm around her protectively. "She basically told me that we would regret what we've done to her," he said with a sigh. "Then she hung up."

"What the fuck did we do to her?" Matt snapped angrily. "_She's_ the one who took Britt…"

"She blames me for breaking her heart," Jeff explained quickly. "But, she also knows about what happened to her father, Matt…"

"Shit!" Matt pushed himself to his feet, sighing as he ran his hand through his dark curls and stood in the entryway between the living room and the kitchen.

"So, what does that bitch calling you have to do with that man standing in the road and almost killing you?" Beth demanded, the anger now noticeable in her tone too.

Jeff sighed. "Right after she told me that I would regret everything, that man stepped out into the street."

Beth wrapped her hand tightly around his, resting her head on his shoulder as she sighed heavily. "Oh, my God…"

"So, you think Brittany planned that then?" Matt wondered quietly, turning to look at Jeff.

"I don't know, Man," Jeff muttered, laying his head on top of Beth's. "But it certainly doesn't seem like a coincidence."

"What I don't get is why Brittany would want to hurt you when she _wants_ you, Man," Shannon stated as he leaned forward in his chair. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe she realizes that Jeff won't ever be hers, and she just can't get over it," Beth suggested, glancing up at Jeff as she wrapped her arms around him. She couldn't stand the thought of her enigma belonging to someone else, especially to someone like Brittany. Jeff's arm tightening around her and the quick kiss he planted on her cheek helped to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"That's possible," Matt mused with a sigh. "But, whatever the reason, we have a crazy bitch on our hands now, and we have to figure out a way to get her off our backs."

"Yep," Shannon agreed, standing up and walking past Matt into the kitchen to grab a beer. "It appears that your asses need saving… again!"

**Author's Note**: Hmm, things aren't looking so good, are they? Who really made Jeff crash? Was Brittany behind it? I'm not sure, but I would like your thoughts! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	6. Amazed

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Thank you so much to **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **xOallisonqtOx**, and **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-** (and also to **Graelam **and **the hardy boyz lover** for earlier chapters!) for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated! And I have to say, even though things seem to be going bad for our favorite Core right now, there has to be some sweetness, right? Lol, enjoy!

Chapter 6- Amazed

**Artist**: _Lonestar_

Since it was so late, Shannon spent the night camped out on the couch in the living room. Jeff fell asleep almost instantly due to exhaustion, Beth tightly in his arms, and Matt stayed up for a little while in his room watching television before he was finally able to doze off.

The next morning, Shannon left early, even before the other three woke up, since he had to get to Gas Chamber Ink to take care of some paperwork before it opened. Beth was the next to wake up, and she began making coffee as Matt came downstairs and joined her in the kitchen. Jeff woke up almost an hour later, moving slowly since his muscles were stiff and cramped from the previous night's accident. He wasn't going to be doing too much that day other than calling the insurance company about his car.

By the time afternoon rolled around, Matt left to do some shopping and Jeff was taking a quick nap on the couch. Beth finished doing the dishes from lunch, turning up the radio a little so she could hear it in the living room while she did a little dusting. It was a good day for cleaning up some, she figured, since she didn't really have any other plans for that day. She smiled as she started to wipe up the outside of the fireplace when she heard the song that came on after the commercial. It was the country version of a song from a Disney movie that was popular during her childhood, and it made her feel reconnected to that time in her life again since that was when she had dreamed about who her Prince Charming would one day be.

Little did she know at that time he would take the form or one Jeffery Nero Hardy.

_"Someday my prince will come_

_Someday I'll find my love_

_And how thrilling that moment will be_

_When the prince of my dreams come to me_

_He'll whisper I love you_

_And steal a kiss or two_

_Though he's far away_

_I'll find my love someday_

_Someday when my dreams come true…"_

Fortunately, she had already reached that point in her life where she had her dreams come true by finding her Prince Charming. Jeff was the only man for her. She couldn't imagine herself being with anyone else.

Then, Beth gasped when a pair of gentle hands landed on her waist, and she looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Jeff looking back at her. "I believe I heard something about stealing a kiss," he muttered with a smirk, quickly catching her lips.

Beth smiled as she turned to face him. "Or two," she added, kissing him again.

Jeff laughed a little, kissing her forehead. "Spring cleaning isn't for another few months yet," he told her jokingly.

"Yeah, well, since you were sleeping, I thought it wouldn't hurt," Beth replied. "I didn't expect you to be up quite this fast. How are you feeling?"

"All right." Jeff shrugged. "My knee is a bit hard to walk with yet, but that's to be expected. And my lower back seems to be a bit more painful than the rest of my body, but I can manage."

Beth looked up at him sadly, running her fingers over his face lightly as she stared into his green eyes. She knew that Jeff was extremely fortunate that he walked away from that collision with only a few aches and pains. Things could have turned out so much worse…

"What do you say we go out tonight, Beth?" Jeff suddenly asked. "Just you and me."

"Really?" Beth loved the sound of that. It had been far too long since she and Jeff had been able to do something together, just the two of them. "But are you sure you're feeling up to it?"

Jeff smiled back down at her. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine for that," he told her. "Besides…" He paused, taking her left hand in his as they both looked down at the ring on her finger. "It's a special occasion."

There was a broad smile on Beth's face as she raised her gaze back up to his. "Yeah, Jeffro. Sounds great!" she said. "I would love to!"

"I thought you might like that." Jeff tenderly placed his hand on her cheek before he leaned down and kissed her. Beth took a small step closer to him, the kiss getting a bit more intense when she allowed him to deepen it. For that one moment, all of the recent bad things that had happened to them were forgotten. It was only her and Jeff, and that was all that mattered.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening interrupted their moment, and Jeff and Beth pulled apart as they watched Matt enter the living room with a large, dark bag in his hand. He raised a curious eyebrow when he noticed how close the couple was standing. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something important?"

"Nah, Man," Jeff told him while Beth cleared her throat in embarrassment, putting his arm around her shoulders as she turned to face the older Hardy. "We were just talking about going out for dinner tonight."

"That's a great idea," Matt said, setting the bag down next to the couch before he walked across the room and handed the keys to his brother. Obviously, what was in that bag was not to be seen by their eyes. "I suppose you'll have to use my car for now, huh?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

"Nah, I don't mind," Matt assured him, patting his back as he grinned broadly. "You two go have fun. It's been a while since you've been able to do something like this. You deserve it!"

Jeff returned the smile. "Thanks, Man."

"Of course!"

Beth smiled as she leaned against Jeff's arm. "This is going to be fun, Jeffro," she muttered, taking the keys from his hand. "But I think _I'll_ drive."

Once Beth and Jeff got their coats, gloves, and scarves on and left the house, Matt turned to the all-Christmas station on the radio before bringing a couple rolls of wrapping paper into the living room and putting on his Santa hat. With a happy sigh, he sat in front of the fireplace with the large bag of gifts he had just bought for his friends and family.

"I'm glad they picked today to go on their date," Matt told Lucas when the little terrier came over to investigate what he was doing. "Now, I can get all my wrapping done!"

* * *

Beth drove them to their favorite Italian restaurant in Southern Pines, the one that they had gone to on their first official date. It was a small and friendly place, one that had deep significance for both of them. Jeff held out his arm, and Beth took it as they entered the restaurant together. It wasn't too crowded, as they had expected, and Danny, the elderly man who ran the place, gave them a broad smile as they walked up to the counter.

"Jeffery! Elizabeth! So great to see you both," he greeted cheerfully in his heavy Italian accent as he gave each of them a hug. They had formed a special bond with the man since their first time there ten years before.

"Good to see you too, Grandpa," Beth replied with a smile, using the name she and Jeff had adopted for him. "It's been a while since we've been here."

"It certainly has," Danny agreed, placing his hand on her back as he led them toward a table toward the back of the restaurant, which was the one they typically ate at when they came. "And we've missed you."

The other half of the "we" made itself known once they reached their usual table when an older beagle waddled over to them. "We've missed you too," Jeff told them, bending over and petting the dog when she approached him. "Hey, Lady."

Beth smiled as she watched them, then looked up at Danny again when he gently took her left hand in his and lifted it up a little. "My, what a beautiful ring," he said, completely beaming as he met her gaze. "When did this happen, my dear?"

"Just yesterday," she replied cheerfully with a broad smile. "It hasn't really sunk in for me yet."

Danny laughed a little as he kissed her fingers before releasing her hand. "I bet not. But congratulations to you both! I'll get you each a glass of wine on the house while you decide what to order."

"Thank you, Grandpa," Jeff said while Danny walked into the kitchen with Lady close behind him. "Such a wonderful man…"

"Oh, I know. I love him, I really do." Beth handed Jeff the second menu before opening her own, looking through the different pastas. Spaghetti with chicken sounded pretty good…

A few minutes later, Danny returned to their table with two glasses of the restaurant's famous white wine. "Here you are," he announced, setting one in front of both of them before pulling out a note pad. "Now, do you know what you would like?"

Jeff nodded to Beth, signaling that she should go first. "I'll take the spaghetti with chicken," she told him as she closed the menu and set it beside her.

"Light on the sauce?" Danny winked at her. Beth smiled and nodded. He knew her too well.

"I'll have the shrimp alfredo," Jeff said when Danny turned his attention to him.

"And that's with extra sauce if I do recall, Sir," Danny replied with a knowing smile. Jeff also smiled as he nodded. "All right, then. I'll be back with your orders." He took the menus from them and once again went back into the kitchen.

Beth sighed with contentment as she looked at Jeff sitting across from her, raising her wine glass. "To us," she muttered.

Jeff returned the smile as he also raised his glass and clinked it lightly against hers. "To us," he agreed quietly. Then, they both took a sip.

As she set her wine back down, Beth couldn't help but laugh a little. This was the first time in a while that she and Jeff had gone on an actual date, and she loved it. It was exciting.

Jeff nodded as though he understood what her laugh was about, but then he suddenly glanced at the front of the restaurant. "Hey, Beth, do you mind if I go make a quick phone call?" he asked. "I was supposed to call Shan and tell him what the insurance company said, but I don't want anyone else overhearing about what happened."

"Yeah, sure, hon," Beth answered. "Go ahead. I'll be right here."

Jeff smiled as he leaned across the table and kissed her lips quickly. "I'll be right back," he told her.

Beth returned it. "Okay. Take your time."

The younger Hardy got to his feet and headed toward the door of the restaurant. But when he reached it, Jeff paused for a moment when someone caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He slowly looked over, seeing that it was a man who appeared to be around his age with black hair that was tied back behind his head and had heavily tattooed arms. He was sitting with a blonde-haired woman who he couldn't really see since her back was to him, and he wasn't sure why they had made him stop.

Then, the man looked up at him, and his dark eyes seemed to slice right into him, which greatly disturbed Jeff as he turned and hurried out of the restaurant. Once he was outside in the chilly evening air, he pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Matt's number. He hadn't wanted to let Beth know who he was really calling since that would have seemed suspicious, and he wanted this Christmas surprise to be truly special for her if he could make it work.

It rang twice before his brother picked up. "_Hello?_"

"Hey, Matt. It's me," Jeff said.

"_What's up, Man?_" Matt asked. "_How's your date going?_"

"It's going fine," Jeff answered. "But look, Man, I was wondering if I could borrow your car again on Christmas Eve after Beth's asleep to go out to Shan's place and pick up the dog. We talked about it last night on the way to the house. He said it would be fine with him if it's okay with you."

"_Christmas Eve… Whoa, that's Friday, isn't it? That's only four days away…_" Matt muttered. "_But yeah, that's fine with me. Britt's gonna' absolutely love her, Man!_"

"Yeah, she is," Jeff agreed with a smile. " I think that will make this Christmas really special. We'll have to think of a name for her."

Matt laughed. "_Yeah, we do. But I think the real question is can we get her away from Julie? Shan told me that she's gotten really attached to that dog._"

Jeff also laughed. "Yeah, I think so if we tell her she can visit anytime," he said. "But, thanks, Man. That's gonna' be really helpful. I'd better get back in now, though. I'll talk to you later."

"_No problem, Man. Glad I'm able to help,_" Matt replied. "_Okay, talk to you later, bro. Have fun!_"

"I will, thanks. Bye."

"_Bye._"

Jeff ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket, taking a deep breath. He couldn't wait to see Beth's face when she saw the Christmas gift he had gotten for her- the daschund mix he had fallen in love with when he visited the animal shelter a couple months before. He was just relieved that Shannon and Julie were willing to watch her for a little while since the surprise would have been ruined otherwise. But after the loss of Jack, having this dog would be a good thing for both of them. With this thought in mind, Jeff smiled as he went back into the restaurant, not wanting Beth to wait alone anymore.

When he reached their table, Jeff stopped, startled, when he saw the black-haired man he had noticed before sitting in his chair talking to Beth. They were both laughing about something when he approached, and Beth looked up and gave him a smile. "Hey, Jeffro. Everything okay with Shan?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Everything's fine…" Jeff found that he couldn't look away from the man when he turned his dark eyes to him.

Beth cleared her throat, the awkwardness of the situation starting to set in. "Um, this is Luke," she said as a form of introduction. "We were just talking…"

Luke slowly pushed himself to his feet, never moving his eyes away from Jeff. "Just a harmless conversation," he added, holding his hand out. Jeff looked down on it for a moment before he slowly reached out and shook it.

"Nice to meet you," the younger Hardy muttered.

"Likewise." Luke gave him a small smile. "Well, I'd better get back to my table. It was nice talking to you, Beth."

"You too," Beth replied with a smile, shaking his proffered hand.

Jeff watched almost suspiciously as Luke walked past him and out of sight before he sat in the chair across from Beth again. There was something about him that he didn't trust. The first thing he had noticed was that he didn't have the Southern twang to his voice. What was he doing at a small, family-owned restaurant that only the natives knew about?

"He was a nice man," Beth tried to start a conversation as she took a sip of her wine. "Just got out of a bad relationship."

"Yeah, he seemed nice," Jeff agreed with a small smile, not bothering to worry Beth with his concerns. Tonight was their night, after all. He didn't want to ruin it with something that he was probably overreacting about.

Their orders came shortly after, and a short time after they were finished eating, Danny came back to their table with a decent-sized chocolate brownie with a single candle in the center. "Congratulations, you two," he said with a broad smile.

"Oh, Grandpa, you didn't have to," Beth told him as she laughed a little.

"I know I didn't have to, my dear, but I wanted to," Danny replied, kissing her hand again. "I made it special."

"Thank you, Grandpa," Jeff muttered with a smile of his own. "This does really make the night special for us."

Danny placed his hand on Jeff's shoulder for a moment before he set two forks in front of them. "Enjoy, you two."

When he went back to the kitchen, Jeff and Beth both leaned forward and blew out the candle together, laughing a little before they kissed each other quickly. "Well, that was a nice surprise," Beth said as she used her fork to take a small piece of the brownie.

"Yes, it was," Jeff agreed when he also took a bite. "It's good, too."

"He did say he made it special," Beth laughed.

Jeff nodded, but then, he looked up at the speaker near them when he heard a familiar song he knew well. He smiled, knowing that it was one that had deep significance to them both. "Beth, do you remember when we were here the first time and this song was played?" he asked quietly.

Beth smiled, reaching across the table and taking his hand. "How can I forget?" she answered in a whisper. She noticed Danny giving her a broad smile from behind Jeff, and she instantly knew that he was the one that had chosen the song.

_"Every time our eyes meet_

_This feelin' inside me_

_Is almost more than I can take_

_Baby, when you touch me_

_I can feel how much you love me_

_And it just blows me away_

_I've never been this close to anyone or anything_

_I can hear your thoughts_

_I can see your dreams…"_

"I don't know how you do what you do," Jeff sang along quietly. "I'm so in love with you, and it just keeps getting better…"

"… I wanna' spend the rest of my life," Beth continued, a thin line of tears in her eyes. "With you by my side, forever and ever…"

Jeff tightened his hand around hers. "… Every little thing that you do," he finished in a whisper, looking deep into her eyes. "Baby, I'm amazed by you."

_"The smell of your skin_

_The taste of your kiss_

_The way you whisper in the dark_

_Your hair all around me_

_Baby you surround me_

_You touch every place in my heart…"_

Once they finished eating their brownie and when the song ended, Jeff paid Danny for their meal and also gave him a generous tip for all he had done to make that night special for them. Then, he took Beth's hand in his, and they walked out of the restaurant and to the car.

Beth drove them back to Cameron, but before they went to the house, Jeff told her to stop at a gas station so he could fill up the tank for Matt since he had let them borrow the car and in case he had to use it again. He got out while Beth waited in the car, and he went inside to pay in advance. While waiting in line, he saw that they had his fiancée's favorite kind of gum, and he grabbed a pack for her to pay for on top of the gas.

That was when he had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him, but before he could turn around, he heard a familiar voice from behind him that made his blood run cold.

"Hello again, Jeffro."

**Author's Note**: Wasn't that sweet and adorable? I thought that Jeff and Beth needed some quality time together. But who's this at the gas station? Hmm, not sure… And I actually based the character of Luke (thanks to **the hardy boyz lover** for the idea for the name!) off of someone I personally know who's famous in his own way around our city, and I can try to find a picture of him without all his makeup. If I can't… then I'll post one with his makeup, lol. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated! Thank you!


	7. Monsters

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! They needed a fluffy moment before… well… you'll see. Thanks so much to **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **Cheryl24** (Ooh, that is a good idea. I'll have to see if I can fit it in a bit later!), **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.- **(you're "fangirl" review completely made me laugh, haha!), and **xOallisonqtOx** for your reviews! They're greatly appreciated! And just as a note, yes, the dog that Jeff was talking about in the last chapter is Lizzie! Um… I'm hoping you like this chapter, lol. Just please don't like kill me. If you do, then you wouldn't know how this whole thing ends, now would you? Lol. Just keep that in mind! A huge thank you to **the hardy boyz lover** for helping me with the last part of this chapter! So, um, shall we proceed?

Chapter 7- Monsters

**Artist**: _Matchbook Romance_

"Hello again, Jeffro."

Jeff slowly turned around, seeing with mounting dread that none other than Brittany Howe was standing behind him, smiling triumphantly. "Give me one reason not to call the police," he whispered angrily, hoping that the fear he felt at seeing her again wasn't showing through.

Brittany smirked at him. "Oh, please. Your threats mean nothing, hon," she told him with an air of arrogance. "As soon as you call, I can be gone from here without a trace. Besides, I have no reason to run. I've been _legally_ released."

Realizing that there was nothing he could do, Jeff sighed and turned back around to pay for the gas he was going to get and the pack of gum. Brittany's eyes shone with interest when she saw it as she came up to stand next to him. "Your favorite kind of gum?" she wondered innocently.

"No," Jeff told her through clenched teeth once he got his change back. "It's for _Beth_." Then, without another word, he pushed past Brittany and left he gas station. Humming to herself, the girl smiled politely to the man behind the counter and went after him.

Jeff hurried in the direction of where Matt's car was, wanting to fill up the tank and leave as soon as he could. Before he reached it, however, he watched as the driver's door opened and Beth stepped out, meeting him about halfway in the parking lot.

"If you don't mind, hon, I'm going to go run in and buy something while you put the gas in," she told him. "It won't take long."

"Sure, no problem," Jeff replied, placing his hand on her arm as he glanced behind him. He was relieved to see that Brittany was nowhere in sight. "Take your time."

Beth smiled at him before she followed his gaze, hiding her confusion at his strange behavior, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "Be right back, Jeffro." She gave him a quick kiss before she walked the rest of the way across the parking lot, walking past a blonde girl who had knelt on the sidewalk to tie her shoe before she entered the gas station.

She looked around nervously, seeing that what she was looking for was near the counter. Beth slowly wandered over, wishing they could have been in the back as she tried not to draw attention to herself and looked at the different ones to choose from. Why was there such a variety? They were all practically the same thing, weren't they? She had no idea where to even start.

"I suggest this one," an older woman near her looking at protein bars said quietly, gesturing to one near her right hand. "It's very accurate."

"Thank you," Beth mumbled, giving her an almost embarrassed smile as she picked up the box and went to stand in line. She sighed as she looked down at it while she waited. For the first time since she had started to suspect it, she was nervous. She wasn't sure if she was quite ready to know. And what would Jeff's reaction be? This answer was also unknown since they hadn't talked about it too often, and that thought made her even more anxious. But, Beth knew there was no turning back as she handed the cashier the money and took the bag back from him, and she sighed as she hurried out of the gas station.

But, Beth stopped on the sidewalk when she saw that a blonde-haired girl who looked like the one she had passed before was now standing by Jeff as he finished putting the gas in the car. She also saw that he looked furious. Wondering what was going on and what he was being harassed about now, she carefully crossed the parking lot as fast as she could so she wouldn't slip on any hidden ice.

"All I want is for you to stay the fuck away from me!" Jeff snapped as she approached, glaring at the girl with him.

"Jeffro, what's happening?" Beth asked as she gave the blonde girl an accusing stare. "Who is this?"

Before Jeff could say a word, the girl turned to face her, and Beth's eyes widened with fear when she saw Brittany smiling back at her. "It's good to see you again too, Beth," she said sweetly with an almost malicious smirk on her face.

"You… bitch!" Beth raised her hand as if she meant to slap her, but Jeff reached forward and grabbed her arm to hold her back as he pulled her tightly into his arms.

"That's not going to help," he muttered, kissing the top of her head.

Brittany's smirk only broadened as she walked past them, probably heading to wherever she had parked. "You had better learn to control your pet, Jeffro," she told him. "Otherwise, she'll get you in trouble."

Beth growled angrily as she struggled to fight out of Jeff's arms, but his hold around her was too tight. "Brittany, this is your final warning," he said threateningly. "If you ever come near me again, the police will be called."

"Whatever you say, Jeffro." Brittany gave him a knowing smirk this time. "Goodbye for now." Then, she turned and walked across the parking lot and climbed into a black car, starting it before she left the lot and rounded a corner out of sight.

"I am going to wring her neck if I ever see her again," Beth hissed angrily once the younger woman was gone. "What the fuck is she doing out of prison?"

Jeff sighed as he shook his head. "I'm not sure, but she claims it's legally," he muttered, tightening his arms around her in a comforting way this time. But when he looked down at her, he was surprised to see a few tears falling from her eyes as she fought to suppress them. "Beth, what's wrong?"

Beth shook her head, finally giving up on trying to hold back her tears as a quiet sob escaped from her. "How the hell did she find us in Cameron?" she whispered. This was the one place she felt truly at home and safe. She didn't want that to be taken from her.

"I don't know, but I can promise you one thing," Jeff told her, gently pushing her head down so it was resting on her chest. "I will not let anything happen to you."

After a few moments of just letting her bottled up emotions out, Beth nodded as she took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. "All right," she muttered. "Let's just go home. I want this night to end on a good note."

* * *

Once she was out of sight of the gas station, Brittany slowed her car to a stop and pulled over to the side of the road. She sighed as she fished her cell phone out of her purse and began looking for the number she needed. Though she had tried not to show it, this night had been very painful for her. Seeing Beth and Jeff together at the restaurant, appearing as though they were celebrating something, broke her heart cleanly in half. They had seemed so happy together as they laughed, shared their brownie, and just seemed content to merely stare into each other's eyes. Even the cute little things at the gas station tore her apart- the quick kiss, Jeff buying Beth's favorite gum without a reason other than the fact that he loved her…

It was a love she had never experienced, one that she didn't fully understand, but it was one she hoped to one day call her own.

Brittany then found the number she was looking for in her list of contacts and she called it, sighing as she brought the phone to her ear. She waited, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently until her call was answered after the third ring. "_Hello?_"

"Where are you?" Brittany asked.

"_Still back at the gas station,_" the man answered. "_It's safe to come back. Jeff and Beth have left. Beth also bought something, but I couldn't see what it was…_"

"All right. I'm on my way." That was all she said before Brittany ended the cal and turned the car around to go back to the place she had just left since it wasn't far away. Keeping tabs on Jeff was tedious at times, but it was necessary, especially when the man helping her was beginning to gain Beth's trust.

When Brittany pulled into the parking lot, she found him waiting for her by the door. She would recognize that long black hair anywhere. She unlocked the door while he tossed his cigarette to the ground and put it out and waited until he was in the passenger seat next to her before taking off again. "Thank you for agreeing to help me out with this, Luke," she said, slowly pulling out of the gas station and driving in the opposite direction she knew Jeff and Beth had gone.

Luke smiled back at her as he pulled his hair back into a ponytail. "I've only known you for what, your whole life?" he replied. "You don't have to thank me, Britt."

Brittany smiled. "I feel like I have to," she told him. "After all, you're the one who got me out of prison."

"Well, it wasn't easy, let me tell you," Luke muttered. "That but that's what happens when you kidnap a famous man's girlfriend." Brittany didn't say anything and instead went stony-faced, so he decided to continue. "Just what is it about this Jeff Hardy that you like so much?"

"It's… something that can't be put into words," Brittany said in a tone that made it clear that conversation was over.

"You… you do realize that he is one of the reasons that your father is dead, right?" Luke wondered hesitantly.

Brittany nodded curtly. "Yes, and they will regret that," she told him. "But what I need you to do is keep getting close to Beth. That's going to help us out a lot."

Luke sighed as he slowly nodded. "Okay. Sure, Britt…"

Suddenly Brittany slammed on the brakes as she glared at him. "You're not backing out on me, are you?!" she demanded fiercely.

"No, Britt, no," Luke assured her, startled by the sudden stop. He was just glad that there was no other traffic at that moment. "Of course not."

"Good. You had better not even think about it," Brittany muttered in a threatening way as she began driving again. "I don't care what it takes. Jeff _will_ be mine. I _always_ get what I want."

* * *

Matt smiled to himself as he knelt in front of the Christmas tree the next morning, placing the presents he had wrapped the night before beneath it. His eyes shone as his gaze passed over all the names- Jeff, Beth, his father, Shannon, Julie, Lucas, Shane… The list went on. He had gotten a lot accomplished while Jeff and Beth had gone on their date.

"Playing Santa, Matt?"

The older Hardy looked over his shoulder, seeing that Beth was leaning against the living room entryway, giving him a broad smile. Matt returned it before he brought his finger to his lips. "Shh…"

Beth laughed before she held up a dark bag that he hadn't noticed before. "Since you're Santa, would you mind putting Jeff and my gifts out too?" she wondered.

Matt nodded with a smile. "Sure thing, Britt." He got up and crossed the room as he took the bag from her. "Anything good for me in here?"

"Maybe," Beth told him with a grin. "You'll have to wait for three more days to find out."

Matt pouted, which only made Beth harder as she entered the kitchen. While the older Hardy put the new gifts under the tree also, Jeff came downstairs and joined Beth in the kitchen, seeing that she had taken out the frozen dough from the freezer to make sugar cookies. Matt then called Shannon since it had recently become a tradition to have him over while they made the Christmas cookies, and the three of them sat in the living room and shared humorous stories from past holidays and wondered what they had gotten each other while they waited for the dough to defrost somewhat. It was fun to see how well they all knew one another.

When Shannon finally arrived later that afternoon, the dough was soft enough to begin baking, and Beth and Jeff started to roll it into little balls and put them on the pan. That was also when they discovered that the older Hardy had caught a bit of a cold.

"Matthew Hardy, if you sneeze on my cookies, I swear…" Beth's threat when unfinished, but her message was perfectly clear. Matt leaned over her shoulder as he sniffed loudly, but before he could even joke around about sneezing, Beth turned and forcefully pushed him away from the counter, getting dough all over the front of his shirt and his face. Matt stared back at her in shock while Jeff and Shannon laughed at him.

Once all the cookies were safely in the oven, Shannon led the way to the Christmas tree to see which presents were for him, and he even shook a couple to try to tell if it was anything good. The others were instantly reminded of a little kid on Christmas morning.

"What if there was something breakable in one of those, Shan?" Matt asked as he sniffed, his tone definitely reflecting how stuffed up he was.

Shannon paused before shrugging. "Then… I would have to just hope that nothing you guys got me was breakable," he answered with a laugh. "Seriously, you guys should know better!"

This continued for a while before Beth had to rush to the kitchen to make sure that she hadn't burned the cookies like she did last year, and they smelled delicious when she pulled them out of the oven. Even though they were still very hot, she let the boys have one since that's when they were truly the best. The cookies were perfect- a crisp, golden brown around the outside but still soft in the middle. Beth let the rest cool down somewhat before attempting to lift them off the pan and put some in a bag for Shannon to take home for him and Julie while she put the rest in a bowl on the kitchen table to be snacked on for the rest of the evening. Then, they settled down and watched "A Christmas Story" again since Shannon hadn't watched it yet that year and Matt had fallen asleep last time they had seen it. It didn't truly feel like Christmas without seeing that classic movie at least once.

The sun was beginning to set once the movie ended, and Matt realized that with all the festivities, he had forgotten to take Lucas for a walk that day. "It won't take long, guys," he tried telling the concerned others as he blew his nose. "He just needs to get out for a little bit."

"Yeah, but you're in no condition to go out there in the cold," Beth replied in an almost motherly way as she placed her hand on his forehead, ignoring his eyeroll when she noticed that he felt a bit warm. "Sorry, Matt, but I'm not going to let you go out and make yourself sicker. What you're going to do is take some cold medicine and relax on the couch for the rest of the evening."

"Why don't you let me go walk Lucas, Matt?" Jeff suddenly suggested.

"Are you sure that _you're_ able to handle it, Man?" Matt asked, taking the cold syrup that Beth handed him before sitting on the couch. "With that knee, it could be a bit difficult."

Jeff brushed off his concern. "I'll be fine. It's been a couple days, and a little fresh air never hurts," he answered. "Besides, it would be good for my knee to get some exercise. It's when I sit around and then try to move that it hurts the worst, Man."

Matt shrugged. "Well, all right, if you're sure," he muttered. "Lucas can be a handful."

"I can handle it. I've walked him before."

"Super Jeff to the rescue!" Shannon said jokingly as he playfully punched his arm, making the younger Hardy laugh a little.

"Well, if you're going to go out in the cold, you're going to bundle up," Beth told him, handing Jeff his winter coat and gloves. "I don't want you catching a cold too."

Jeff smiled down at her as he put on what she gave him before quickly kissing her. "You don't have to worry about me, Beth," he muttered.

Beth returned the smile as she squeezed his hand before Jeff went to get Lucas' leash, and she turned her attention to Matt. "Now, I'm going to make you some soup."

Matt smirked up at her while Shannon quickly sat down next to him, wanting soup too. "Oh, Beth, what would we ever do without you to take care of us?" the older Hardy wondered sarcastically.

"I don't know," Beth told him cheerfully with a sweet smile. "You'd be in some deep shit, that's all I know." This comment made both men laugh.

Jeff hooked the leash onto Lucas' collar when he came running up to him since he knew what was going on when he slipped his shoes on. He was _really_ excited. He sighed as he slowly straightened up, looking at his fiancée. "I'm heading out, Beth," he said.

Beth quickly turned to look at him. "Okay, hon." She then walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she kissed him quickly but passionately. "I may have something to discuss with you when you get back," she whispered.

The younger Hardy raised his eyebrow with interest. "Oh? And what would that be?" he asked quietly.

But he only got an amused smirk in return. "You'll see," she answered allusively. "I want you to have something to look forward to."

Jeff smiled as he gently pulled her closer to him. "Seeing you is enough to look forward to," he murmured, his lips lingering inches away from hers almost tauntingly. "You really know how to drive me crazy."

Beth laughed a little. "Is that a good or bad thing?" she wondered.

"Definitely good," Jeff told her in a whisper, finally closing the gap between them as he kissed her again.

"Once you guys are done making out, I think Lucas would like to go on his walk," Matt announced while Shannon made a disgusted face, seeing that he little terrier was waiting patiently by the door with his tail wagging.

"All right, I'd better go." Jeff slowly released Beth, still holding onto her hand for a moment longer. "I love you."

"I love you too, hon," Beth said with a smile as he released her hand. "Have fun. See you when you get back."

Jeff nodded before opening the door, allowing the small, white dog to run out first before he followed and shut the door behind him.

The sun had almost completely set as Lucas led him along the path that connected his and Matt's properties. Jeff shivered slightly due to the chill, his breath forming in front of him in a cloud. But even though it was cold, the fresh air felt good, and it was good to get out of the house for a little while. Lucas was trotting happily in front of him through the snow, knowing this familiar route.

Soon, the frozen lake that had bordered the his old home came into view, and Jeff saw that it was already thinner than when they had played ice bowling a couple days before. It was a good thing they had tried it when they did since some of the frigid water had even begun to melt its way through the layer of ice. They would surely fall through if they tried playing now.

Jeff released the leash, allowing Lucas to explore the area a little as he studied the empty patch of land across from him. That part of his life was over- it no longer existed. Now, he was going to begin his new life with Beth as an engaged couple in their new house. The feeling was liberating.

Then, he quickly looked over his shoulder when he heard an angry bark, and he saw that the little terrier was standing in front of the line of trees near him intently. Jeff narrowed his eyes, having the feeling that he was being watched but wasn't able to see anything. "Lucas, what are you barking at?" he wondered, slowly starting to walk toward him. "It's probably just an animal. Nothing to worry about."

Suddenly, there was a much louder noise that sounded like a gunshot, and Jeff cried out in pain and surprise when the bullet skimmed his shoulder as he dropped to his knees. Lucas whined with fear as he rushed over to the younger Hardy, licking his face almost comfortingly.

"Lucas, get out of here," Jeff muttered hoarsely, ignoring the burning sensation on his arm as he pushed the small dog off him in the direction of the house. He pushed him again when he tried to approach him a second time. "No, get out of here!" After another push in the right direction, Lucas seemed to understand what he was being told, and he frantically ran down the path back toward home.

His breath coming shakily, Jeff quickly looked up when he heard approaching footsteps, but he cried out again when something hard collided with the side of his head. When he fell to the snow almost in a daze, he realized that it was the gun that had been fired at him that he had just been struck with. His head pounding from the impact, Jeff saw that here was a dark figure standing over him with the metallic weapon, but he couldn't see his face. All he could see were his eyes. He would know them anywhere. They were the same eyes he had seen before he had crashed a couple nights before.

Jeff then screamed when the man stomped heavily down on the lower part of his back, leaving him gasping for air. He slowly pushed himself up to his knees when no more attacks came as he crawled toward the frozen lake to try to escape. But then, the gun came heavily down on the back of his head, causing Jeff to roll down the slight hill and land on the ice. He coughed a couple of times, alarmed to see that there was some now blood on the ice next to him.

Then, Jeff gasped when a heavy foot collided with his side, and he was forced onto his back. He saw that the man who had attacked him was standing on the ice next to him, aiming his gun directly at his forehead. As his vision began to darken, Jeff found himself merely helplessly waiting for the fatal shot as all of the fight drained out of him. He could see Beth clearly in his mind, and he felt a couple tears prick his eyes when he realized that he would never see her again in this life and that he wouldn't find out what she had wanted to tell him…

But the shot never came. Instead, there was another loud sound that was much nearer, and Jeff realized with dread that it was the ice creaking beneath him. He knew it wouldn't last much longer… His attacker seemed to realize the same exact thing at the same time, and he began to back away from the younger Hardy as he lowered his gun.

But he was too late.

The ice suddenly collapsed, and Jeff gasped with shock when he fell into the frigid water beneath him. The drastic change in temperature made the air completely leave his lungs as his whole body instantly lost feeling for the first initial moment. The little strength he had left escaped him as he struggled to keep his head above the surface and watched the other man stumble up onto the snowy shore. He tried to reach for the ice that was still intact near him to pull himself out of the water, but he found that he couldn't quite reach it.

It was then that Jeff knew it was no use. His breath was coming shallowly since he couldn't get enough oxygen, the numbness in his hands and feet were spreading, and he could feel his body going into complete shock. He knew that it would only be a matter of moments before the freezing temperature would affect his heart.

"I love you, Beth," Jeff whispered as his eyes closed, and he sank limply beneath the surface of the lake.

**Author's Note**:… As I said earlier, please don't kill me, lol. Then, you won't know what happens after this (or who attacked Jeff for that matter…)! So, uh, I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	8. Tremble for My Beloved

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Awesome, no one's tried to like verbally kill me yet or anything, lol. Instead, thank you to **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-** (spazz, lol!), **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **xOallisonqtOx**, **ponygirl-loves-mcqueen**, and **the hardy boyz lover** for your awesome reviews! I hope to keep getting those instead of like death threats or something, lol. Also, a HUGE shoutout to **Expect-the-Unexpected75** for helping me make this chapter even better than I had originally been planning it! Even though I was up late rewriting it, you're still awesome for sharing your ideas! Lol. Same begging as last time, please don't kill me! Otherwise, you won't know how the story ends, lol. So, uh, I'm gonna go take cover while you guys read this… Haha, enjoy!

Chapter 8- Tremble for My Beloved

**Artist**: _Collective Soul_

Beth hummed cheerfully to herself as she came out of the steaming bathroom, using a towel to dry still wet hair. The hot shower had felt incredible, and she felt rejuvenated and upbeat about the news she had just discovered. It was very exciting, and she anxiously awaited Jeff's reaction to it. Their lives were certainly going to become more interesting.

She then entered the living room, seeing that it was still only Matt and Shannon that were sitting on the couch and watching television as they ate the soup she had made for them. "Is Jeff back yet?" she asked, leaning on the back of the couch as she put the damp towel over her shoulder.

Matt looked up at her, sighing as he got to his feet to face her. "No, not yet," he answered. "Shan and I were just discussing maybe going to look for him. It doesn't take that long to walk Lucas." Then, he smirked as he sniffed a little. "You look happy about something. What's up, Britt?"

Beth's smile only broadened as she hugged Matt tightly. "Just some exciting news," she told him. "I can't wait until Jeff gets back so I can tell him!"

Before Matt could ask more about this "exciting news," they heard a soft noise that sounded like scratching at the door. "Speak of the Devil and he appears," Shannon teased while the older Hardy walked toward the front entrance. "See, nothing to worry about, Matt."

"Yeah, no kidding." Matt unlocked the door and opened it, startled when Lucas instantly ran in, whining with his tail between his legs. Beth and Shannon even began to appear nervous when they watched the small dog go in his basket and curl up, trembling. He appeared terrified, but of what, they didn't know.

But it wasn't his baby's behavior that worried Matt the most. It was the fact that there was no sign of his brother. "Jeff!" he shouted, his dark eyes scanning the night before him intently. "_Jeff_!"

Still, no response.

Shannon slowly set his half empty bowl on the table next to him before he got to his feet and joined the older Hardy at the door. "Is he not coming?" he wondered quietly with concern while Beth lingered a small distance behind them, biting her bottom lip nervously. She had a terrible feeling in her heart, and she desperately hoed and prayed that she was wrong…

Matt stared into the darkness for another minute longer before opening the closet next to him when Jeff still didn't show up. "I'm going out to look for him."

Realizing the importance of the situation, Shannon had already grabbed his coat and slipped it on. "I'm going too, Man," he told him. Matt nodded, grateful for the support, as he zipped up his own coat.

"Let me come too," Beth said as she took a couple steps forward, but Matt stopped her.

"You can't go outside in the cold with wet hair, Britt, you'll get sick," he told her gently. "Stay here in case he comes back and we miss him or something, okay?"

Beth looked up into his eyes for a long moment before she reluctantly nodded as tears filled her eyes, knowing that he was right. The older Hardy sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "We'll be back soon with your fiancé," he muttered, trying to make it sound as convincing as possible. Then, he released her, and he and Shannon stepped out into the cold night before shutting the door behind them.

With a heavy sigh, Beth weakly sank to the couch, tears falling from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her stomach almost protectively. She was terrified. What had happened to the love of her life if he hadn't come back with Lucas? She wasn't sure, and that was what scared her the most.

Almost as if sensing her fear, Lucas slowly walked over to the couch, jumping up and sitting on her lap. Despite herself, Beth laughed a little as she pulled the small dog close to her, some tears leaking from her eyes. "What happened, Lucas?" she whispered, knowing that she wouldn't get an answer from him as she scratched the top of his head. "What happened to your Uncle Jeffro?"

* * *

Matt led the way down the dark path with Shannon close behind, calling out for his brother. But each time he yelled his name, the more prominent his fear became since each time, his call went unanswered.

"Where could he have gone?" Shannon wondered in disbelief. "There's like no way he could have gotten lost or something on this path."

The older Hardy didn't respond, his focus only on the path ahead of him. Shannon sighed, realizing that talking to him wasn't going to do any good, so he looked around intently for any sign of their missing friend.

Suddenly, they heard a loud sound from ahead of them, which eerily sounded like ice breaking. Matt paused as his anxiety spiked, hardly noticing when Shannon grabbed his arm nervously. "The lake," he whispered before he began to run along the path, his younger friend right behind.

Matt rounded the corner first, the frozen lake that they had recently played ice bowling on coming into sight. His heart nearly stopped with fear at what he saw. "_Jeff_!"

Hs little brother was limply floating in a hole in the ice, struggling to keep his head above the surface for a moment before he fell beneath the frigid water. Without a second's hesitation, Matt stumbled down the snowy shore and knelt down on the edge, reaching a hand out toward the younger Hardy. "Jeff, come on!" he shouted anxiously, inching as close as he could toward him without actually falling in. That wouldn't help either of them. "Jeff, take my hand!" He wasn't sure if he could hear him when he was under the water, but he had to try anyway.

Jeff surfaced a couple seconds later, his face deathly pale and his eyes closed as he forcefully coughed out water. "Jeff!" Matt repeated anxiously, seeing with dread that his fingertips just brushed against his brother's arm. "Jeff, come on, Man! Take my hand!" He noticed an ugly bruise forming on his temple, but at least from what he could see, there weren't any deadly injuries on him. What concerned him the most was the equally dangerous threat of hypothermia setting in. He had to get the younger man out of the frigid water as soon as possible.

At the sound of his name, Jeff slowly opened his eyes and looked up into the older Hardy's panicked face. "Ma… Matt…" he gasped.

"Come on, Jeff!" Matt continued to reach toward Jeff, trying not to fall in himself. "Come on!"

Jeff looked at his brother's hand, his face contorting with pain when he tried to move. "I-I'm sorry…" he muttered, his voice trembling from the cold as his eyes closed, sinking beneath the surface again.

"Shit!" Matt hissed when his hand grasped only icy water. His heart racing, he quickly looked over his shoulder at his younger friend, who was staring at the sight before him in horror. "Shan, grab a tree branch or something for me to grab onto!"

Snapping out of his trance at the sound of the older Hardy's command, Shannon nodded as he looked around. "Okay!" He immediately ran to the tree nearest him and grabbed a low-hanging but thick branch, snapping it off with a bit of difficulty to the sturdiness and the slippery snow covering it.

"Hurry, Shan!" Matt said, anxious when Jeff didn't resurface again.

"I'm coming!" Shannon rushed down to where Matt was kneeling in the snow, holding out the branch.

"Hold on to the end of it," Matt told him as he grabbed the other end and leaned out further over the ice, reaching his arm down into the frigid water. He felt around for a couple moments before finding what felt like Jeff's arm. Getting a firm hold on it, Matt nodded back at Shannon, and the two friends began to pull until the younger Hardy's head appeared above the surface. It lolled limply to the side, his eyes closed.

"A little further, Shan!" Matt tried to be encouraging as he pulled Jeff a little up onto the ice as he let go of the branch. But then, his grip on the younger man's arm slipped, and he began to fall back into the water. Matt anxiously leaned forward to catch him, and wrapping his arms around his waist securely, he gently pulled Jeff out of the like and off the ice onto the snow shore, holding him close. He was alarmed to hear that he was gasping for air as his chest rose and fell much too quickly and felt that his body was shaking violently in his arms.

"Jeff," Matt muttered, quickly removing his brother's drenched coat and wrapping his own dry one around him tightly in hopes of trapping in some heat. Had hypothermia already set in? He could tell by Jeff's pale face and the way his lips were turning blue that his body temperature was _much_ lower than it should have been. If he was already suffering from hypothermia, he knew it would only be a matter of moments before…

No, he wasn't going to even think about that. His brother would survive this, he _had_ to. He was a Hardy. He was strong. They just had to get him back to the house and rush him to the hospital. "Come on, Jeff, don't give up on me," Matt said anxiously, holding him closer to him to try to warm him up more with his body heat. He hardly noticed when Shannon knelt down next to him, covering his mouth and shaking his head as tears formed in his eyes. "Please, don't leave me, little bro…"

"…Beth…"

Matt looked down at Jeff with surprise. That one word had come out so weakly that he had barely heard it since it was so quiet. But yet, it also broke his heart in two. "What about Beth?" he asked anxiously.

Jeff didn't even respond for a long moment, his eyes remaining closed. "…_Beth_…" Then his body suddenly went eerily still.

The older Hardy felt his breath catch in his chest as he shook his brother. "Jeff… Come on, Jeff, don't do this… Jeff!"

Shannon took a deep, shuddering breath as a couple of tears leaked from his eyes. This couldn't be happening… Jeff, his best friend since high school, couldn't be dying… "Matt, I-!"

Suddenly, a loud gunshot echoed around them, causing both men to jump. Matt quickly looked up, covering Jeff protectively as he watched in horror as a dark figure slowly walked out of the trees some distance from them. In his hand was a pistol.

"Oh, shit…" Shannon whispered, grabbing Matt's arm as he began to get to his feet. "Come on, Man, let's go!"

"No, I'm not leaving Jeff!" Matt protested, trying to pull out of his friend's grasp without success.

Another shot rang out around them, and Shannon ducked when he realized he had almost been hit. "Matt, it's too late!" he snapped, his voice cracking with both fear and sadness. "We can't save Jeff now! He's barely alive! But if we don't get out of here, we're _all_ dead!"

A third shot. Matt looked at Shannon in shock, not believing a word he was saying. "Shannon, I can't leave him!"

But Shannon didn't listen as he roughly pulled him to his feet. Matt felt Jeff slip from under his arms, and he looked back at his brother's limp body in the snow behind him while Shannon forcefully pulled him along the path with him as another shot echoed from behind them. "No, Jeff!"

"Matt, come on!" Shannon grunted as his older friend struggled with him. "What about Beth, Man? If something to us, she would have _no_ one! What would happen then?"

For a moment, Matt stopped struggling as he allowed Shannon to quickly lead him along. He was right about that. He couldn't leave Beth alone. But he also knew that he couldn't abandon Jeff, not when he needed him the most… He refused to leave him.

The two friends took shelter in the darkness that the trees provided them with once they were a safe distance from the lake, trying to catch their breath. Plus, they didn't want to lead that man to the house where Beth was vulnerable. They listened intently for a few minutes, but they heard no footsteps following them, no more gunshots.

"Whoever that was, I think we lost him," Shannon muttered with relief, leaning his head back against the tree.

Matt didn't even hear him. His body began to shiver due to the cold air around him since he had given Jeff his coat, but he didn't notice that either. All he cared about was finding the right time to reach his brother. He refused to leave him behind when he needed him. After another moment of tense silence when nothing else was heard, the older Hardy ran out from behind the trees and headed full speed back toward the lake.

"Shit, Man!" Shannon exclaimed as he stepped out onto the path and watched him until he was out of sight. "Do you _wanna'_ get yourself killed?"

He didn't stop running until the frozen lake came into sight, and he was relieved to see that there was no sign of the strange man who had shot at him and Shannon. But, his face drained of color as his anxiety spiked when he saw that there was also no sign of his brother. "Jeff!" Matt shouted as he looked around him. "_Jeff_!" But he got no response. Everything was dead silent, and it terrified him.

Then, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he noticed that there was a piece of paper tacked onto the tree next to him. Matt slowly walked over and pulled it off, squinting to try to read it in the moonlight. In scribbled handwriting, it read:

_M. Hardy_

_I have put your brother where he belongs- in an ice cold, watery grave. By the time you read this, it is already too late to save him._

Something about the short note made Matt's blood run cold. It was too late for Jeff? No, that wasn't possible. He was the older brother. He still had to do something… He had to try…

Crumpling the note in his hand, Matt turned to face the frozen lake. Quickly making up his mind, he walked down to the edge of the ice, tentatively putting one foot on it. He didn't care how cold it was going to be, he was going to get Jeff out of there.

But then, he cried out in frustration when a pair of arms he knew had to belong to Shannon wrapped around him tightly. "Damn it, Shan, let go of me!"

"Matt, stop!" Shannon snapped. Though it was difficult due to his friend's violent struggling, he was finally able to apply a sleeper hold to slow him down as he pulled him back from the edge. "We're too late!"

"No!" Matt continued to struggle with the younger man, but he got nowhere. "I have to save him!"

"You _can't_, Matt!" Shannon told him fiercely, not even letting go when he was elbowed in the ribs. "Do you know how freezing that water is? It would cause a person to go into shock, rendering the body useless. Jeff was barely clinging to life when we pulled him out of that lake. If he was really tossed back in like you seem to think he was, he wouldn't have lasted long. And we don't need you catching hypothermia or something!"

Matt felt his strength quickly beginning to wane because of his friend's hold, but also because the harsh reality of what had happened to Jeff was starting to crash down on him. "He can't be… I can't give up on him, Shan," he muttered. "He wouldn't give up on me…"

Shannon sighed sadly as he slowly released the older Hardy from the hold. "We're too late," he repeated in a whisper, and the truth of his words stung him badly. He loved Jeff like a brother, and he couldn't stand the thought that he might have lost him. Then, he slowly bent down and grabbed a piece of crumpled paper that Matt had dropped, and he smoothed it out to look at it. Once he finished reading it, his face drained of color as he sighed heavily when he realized that the note confirmed his words. "I have something to show you, Matt. It was by the trail with some blood by it…"

The older Hardy watched as his younger friend reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver necklace. He instantly recognized it to be his brother's Hardy Boyz pendant that he always wore, and he slowly reached out and took it.

"Jeff…" Matt weakly sank to his knees in the snow, staring at the ice that had claimed his brother in shock. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a terrible nightmare like all the others had been. This couldn't be real… He slowly looked down at the pendant he held in his hand, running his fingers over the design Jeff had created longingly. This was the only thing he had left of him…

Then, he slowly looked up when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he saw that Shannon was looking down on him sadly. "Come on," he muttered as he sniffed, a thin line of tears in his eyes. "We should probably get back to the house." After another moment, Matt nodded and slowly stood.

The two friends walked back along the path in silence, Matt never releasing the pendant they had found. Shannon sighed heavily from next to him, but he hardly took notice. His mind was only on Jeff. He still had faint hope that his baby brother was still alive somehow, and he couldn't bring himself to believe that he was truly… He couldn't even think the word since that would make it more real. But he also knew that he reluctantly agreed with Shannon. Jeff would not have lasted long in that icy water.

When they opened the front door of the house, they weren't surprised when Beth immediately came hurrying over to them. "Jeffro?" she asked hopefully, but her face instantly fell when she saw that there were only two of them, both wearing grim expressions on their faces. "Wh-where is he?"

Matt sighed heavily as he slowly shook his head. Beth quietly gasped, watching with mounting fear as the older Hardy slowly held out his hand with the Hardy Boyz pendant in it, and the way her hand flew to her mouth showed that she immediately realized what had happened. "I'm so sorry, Britt…"

Beth shook her head in protest as tears instantly sprung to her eyes and began to fall. "No… no… Jeff, _no_!" she cried in protest, her voice rising as she began to tremble. Then, she started to collapse weakly to the floor.

"Whoa!" Shannon took a step forward in concern while Matt reached out and caught her, kneeling on the ground as he held a sobbing Beth close to him. There was nothing he could do, he realized, nothing he could say to lessen the pain of the reality that the most important person in her life had just died, especially since he knew someone had taken him from her. He was determined to find out who, and when he did, they were going to pay dearly.

Then, Matt looked down at Beth with alarm when she suddenly clutched her stomach and made gagging noises as though she was going to be sick. Shannon hurriedly knelt down across from him and began to rub her tense back, hoping to be comforting. "God, Britt, are you okay?"

Once her coughing ceased, Beth took a deep, steadying breath as she slowly looked up at the older Hardy and shook her head. He was anxious when he saw how pale her face now was. "Matt," she whispered, and he found he was reminded of a lost, helpless child. "I… I'm pregnant."

**Author's Note**…I offer all my apologies now, lol. Please don't kill me, I would still like to finish this! But, uh… yeah, things aren't looking so good for the Core right now. We'll have to see what happens! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	9. Come Back to Me

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! I'm glad none of you wanted to kill me after that tragic chapter, haha. That's good! Thank you so much to **Expected-the-Unexpected75** (thanks again for your help! That turned out beautifully!), **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **the hardy boyz lover**, **dumwolf16**, and **xOallisonqtOx **for your reviews! I really appreciate them! Just a note. The lyrics I use toward the beginning are actually from a Disney song (wow, I feel almost nerdy now, lol. But I still love them!) called "If I Never Knew You," which is the "lost" song in _Pocahontas_ that was released on the DVD. Just thought it fit the mood a bit. Now, how will the Core deal with the loss? Well, we'll see… Get ready for the "Kleenex chapter!"

Chapter 9- Come Back to Me

**Artist**: _David Cook_

_"If I never knew you_

_If I never felt this love_

_I would have no inkling of_

_How precious love can be…"_

She had a feeling Jeff was dead before Matt and Shannon even came back to the house and confirmed it, she had just desperately hoped otherwise. It was something she couldn't explain. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she had just imagined it. But even before her friends had gone to look for him, she had heard Jeff's voice clearly in her mind, though it had also been very weak.

_"I love you, Beth."_

She truly believed that she had found her soul mate in Jeff, and she also believed that they were connected on a deeper level that would almost seem supernatural. That was how she had heard Jeff tell her he loved her for the final time.

_"And if I never held you_

_I would never have a clue_

_How at last I find in you_

_The missing part of me…"_

Beth felt tears sting her eyes as she sat on the bed in the guest bedroom they had been using, holding a picture of her and Jeff tightly in her hands. It was one of her favorites, one that had been taken the previous summer on one of the Core trips to Myrtle Beach before the house fire. It was a simple picture with her wrapped tightly in Jeff's arms while he kissed her head, but it was one that reminded her that no matter what happened, she would always have him with her.

But now… everything was different. Jeff was gone. Jeff, the love of her life, her soul mate… was dead. Jeff had been the one constant in her life even when she lost everything else, the one thing that she could always depend on to be there. Jeff had promised her that he would always be there when he needed her, that he would be there to catch her if she should fall. And the one time that she had fallen the hardest, Jeff was not there to help lift her back up.

_"In this world so full of fear_

_Full of rage and lies_

_I can see the truth so clear_

_In your eyes, so dry your eyes…"_

Beth's body shook as she began to quietly sob, watching as her tears fell onto Jeff's face in the picture she still held tightly in her hands. How could he do this to her? How could he leave her now when she needed him the most? They were going to start their new lives together in their new house, they were engaged, she was expecting his child…

That last thought made her heart flutter with panic. At first, she had been thrilled when she learned that she was pregnant with Jeff's child, but now that he was no longer with her, she was terrified- terrified because she didn't want to have the baby on her own, didn't want to raise the child without a father. For one moment, she wondered if this child was even worth having.

But then, a small part of her deep inside told her that yes, this child was worth it. Beth clutched the picture she held a bit tighter. Not only was this child a part of her, but a part of Jeff as well. He would still be with her in that way.

_"And I'm so grateful to you_

_I'd have lived my whole life through_

_Lost forever if I never knew you…"_

Beth gently set the picture on the bed beside her before pulling her knees close to her chest as she cried into her arms. She knew she was now alone without Jeff, and that thought scared her. Her heart had been shattered into countless pieces since half of her had also died along with him, and she was now filled with a strange feeling of emptiness that couldn't be filled. She had no idea what to do.

"Jeffro…" Beth whispered through her tears, looking out the window beside her longingly. "Please… come back to me…"

* * *

_"I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong_

_All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night…"_

Matt sighed as he finished setting up Jeff's silver Hardy Boyz pendant on the mantle above the fireplace, making sure that it wrapped around a few more important things that reminded him of his younger brother. It still felt as though Jeff was only away on some sort of errand or something and would be coming home soon. But that wouldn't be the case. The older Hardy knew that he wouldn't be coming back, and that thought broke his heart.

Turning away from the mantle with a heavy sigh, Matt's sorrow-filled gaze then landed on the presents beneath the Christmas tree, which provided the only light in the room, and he slowly walked over and knelt down in front of it. He hesitantly picked up one that he had bought for Jeff, wondering what to do with them now. If they remained where they were, they would never be opened, but he couldn't bring himself to get rid of them, even though Jeff would not be there to open them. After a short, internal debate, Matt decided to just leave the presents the way they were in his memory.

The steady pain that had been pulsing in his heart was becoming unbearable. Jeff, his baby brother and best friend that he had been there for ever since their mother died and before, was gone forever. He still couldn't bring himself to believe that. It wasn't possible. There was no way that Jeff should have died before him, especially by someone else's hand. But what was devastating him the most was that the one time Jeff had needed him the most, he hadn't been there for him.

"Jeff…" Matt's voice broke as he buried his face in his hands and sobs racked his body, feeling almost guilty that these were the first tears he had actually shed for his brother. Beth had already shown her grief, and he had even seen Shannon cry a little. Why was it that _he _finally cried so much later? It wasn't because he cared about their Enigma any less, that much was certain. He had known Jeff for his entire life. But whatever the reason, his feelings were coming out strongly now as knelt on the floor sobbing, the hard reality finally settling in for him. "Jeff, please… don't leave…"

Then, Matt stopped his tears for a moment as a warm, almost calming feeling bloomed in his heart when he definitely felt another presence in the room with him, and he slowly lowered his hands and looked over his shoulder. What surprised him was that there was no one there, though he was sure he felt someone.

"Jeff?" he wondered hesitantly, his voice shaking. The presence lingering in the room was very familiar and comforting to him…

But then, the older Hardy gasped when quiet footsteps brought him out of his thoughts and the presence vanished, and he watched as Beth came down the stairs and entered the living room. She kept her distance as she lingered near the entryway, and Matt noticed that her face was pale, her eyes moist and red-rimmed from crying.

"Can I sit with you?" she asked hesitantly, unable to meet his gaze.

"Of course you can, Britt," Matt answered, wiping his own tears away as he took a deep breath and got to his feet. "Come on."

Beth gave him a small but grateful smile as she slowly walked across the living room and sat down next to him on the couch. She moved as close to the older Hardy as she could, and Matt wrapped his arm securely around her. His presence was comforting to her. "I couldn't stay in that room any longer," she explained quietly. "Being alone in there was too difficult…"

"You shouldn't have to be alone now, Britt," Matt told her, rubbing her arm in a calming manner. "None of us should."

With a heavy sigh, Beth slowly looked up at him. "Matt… can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Sure, Britt," Matt answered as he looked back down at her. "What is it?"

Beth sighed again. "I don't know," she said, almost as if she was changing her mind. "You… you would probably call me crazy if I told you…"

Despite himself, Mat laughed a little. "Britt, you've lived with us for _how_ long?" he replied. "Right now, nothing's crazy to me."

"Promise?"

Matt couldn't think of a time where he had seen Beth so unsure, so helpless before. But, he knew he couldn't expect anything less. The man who she considered to be her better half was dead. "Yes, Britt, of course," he muttered, tightening his arm around her to reinforce his words.

Beth sighed again. "I heard him," she told him in nearly a whisper, and Matt immediately knew who she was talking about. "I can't explain how or why, but I heard him. He said he loved me. There was just something about the way he said it that sounded final, you know? It was as though he knew he was going to die…" Her sentence trailed off as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"There's something else I think you should know, Britt," Matt said quietly with a sigh of his own. "His last word… was your name. He never stopped thinking about you."

That statement caused a broken sob to escape from Beth as she started to cry harder, and the older Hardy pulled her closer as he tried to comfort her. The depth of Beth and Jeff's love was truly amazing, and it was something that he knew he would never fully understand. Their connection was just unbelievable. That was what made his death so difficult for her to handle.

Once she calmed down a bit, Matt gently tilted her face up so he could look her in the eye. "How are you feeling, Britt," he asked quietly with concern as he wiped her tears away. "I mean, with the baby and all."

Beth sighed heavily, gently placing her hand on her stomach. Though it wasn't outwardly visible yet, there was definitely a life beginning to form inside of her. "I'm scared, Matt," she answered truthfully.

"Scared?" Matt repeated, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Why, Britt? This baby's a blessing!"

Tears formed in Beth's eyes again, and a few leaked out as she tried to blink them away. "I can't have it, Matt, I just can't," she told him in nearly a whisper. "I'm too scared… I can't have this baby on my own and then raise it without a father. I can't…"

"You won't be alone, Britt," Matt muttered, kissing her forehead lightly. "I'll be here for you however you need me to be, and for the baby too, of course. But I know Jeff, and I know he always wanted to one day be a father. This child is something that he would want."

Beth nodded, knowing that Matt was right. If anything, she would have this child for Jeff. Her fears were calmed slightly by his words, though they were still there in the back of her mind, but she did feel comforted knowing that the older Hardy would be there for her every step of the way. "I just wish I could have told him, Matt…"

"I know." Matt pulled her closer again as he turned on the radio using the remote on the small table next to him. "Just know now that you expecting his child would have been the best news he could have ever heard."

"Yeah…" Beth rested her head on Matt's shoulder, calmed more by the upbeat melody of the song that was playing. She was afraid to close her eyes because of what she might see, but she soon found that she couldn't fight her exhaustion as her eyes slowly closed against her will.

The older Hardy sighed as he listened to the song and merely stared at the Christmas tree in the corner. He knew that Jeff had promised Beth that whenever she needed him, he would be there. Never once had he failed to be there for her- all she needed to do was ask. But the one time she needed him the most, Jeff wasn't there for her. He knew that Beth had been broken beyond repair by his death, and he desperately hoped that the birth of her and Jeff's child would help her somewhat. It would give her a reason to live, at least, and that was important.

Matt then looked down at Beth in his arms, able to tell by the quiet sound of her even breathing that she was asleep. He was relieved about that since she desperately needed the rest after the emotionally draining night. He sighed, still holding her close as he shifted to a more comfortable position and rested his cheek on top of her head before closing his eyes, feeling relaxed by the lights coming from the Christmas tree. It only took him a couple minutes to follow Beth into what he knew would be a restless sleep.

"So I'll let you goI'll set you freeAnd when you see what you need to seeWhen you find youCome back to meAnd I hope you find everything that you needI'll be right hereWaiting to see you find youCome back to me…"

**Author's Note**: And those last lyrics were from the song that this chapter was named after, lol. Wasn't that sad? The Beth hearing Jeff thing was inspired by the book _Jane Eyre_, so yeah. No, this story is not over yet, lol. They still have Brittany to deal with. But, I am curious as to what your thoughts are as to who killed Jeff. Hmm… Anyway, thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	10. Remember Me

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Sorry about the lyrics in the last chapter at the end… Oh, well. I'm hoping this one works out better, lol. Anyway, wasn't that last chapter sad? I can already say, this one's not gonna' be much better, lol. I mean, nothing super, super happy's going to happen, or anything. But, anyway, thank you so much to **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **Cheryl24**, **Gralem** (for an earlier chapter!), **xOallisonqtOx**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, and **elliexhardy** for your awesome reviews that are completely inspiring! I hope you guys like this chapter, though it is pretty tear jerking too…

**Warning**: Kind of a touchy subject.

Chapter 10- Remember Me

**Performed By**: _Josh Groban_

_"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I've held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me…"_

Beth slowly wandered through the "Imagi-Nation," looking up at the paintings that surrounded her as though she was in a daze. She remembered Jeff doing every one of these works since she had been there with him, and sorrow bloomed inside of her when she could almost hear him telling her that she had been the inspiration for each one when he had asked her to marry him.

But, she found that walking through this place wasn't helping her in the way she had hoped it would. This was Jeff's special place where he would go to escape from the problems of the world around him, to forget about everything. She had hoped that would happen with her if she came here too, but with the constant reminders of him around her, she found that it was almost more difficult to deal with his death.

"Beth."

At the quiet sound of her name, Beth quickly turned around and saw that Jeff was standing behind her, leaning back against one of his paintings in honor of Jack, their beloved dog that had been killed in the house fire. "Jeffro?" she asked hesitantly taking a cautious step toward him. She desperately wanted him to be there with her, alive, but she also didn't want to get her hopes up too high only to have them be crushed again by cold, hard reality.

Jeff nodded as he stepped away from the painting and walked slowly toward her. "Yes, Beth," he answered kindly. "I'm here."

Tears immediately fell from Beth's eyes as she ran the rest of the distance separating them, sobbing as she clung to Jeff tightly when he wrapped his arms securely around her. He felt real enough, and the warmth of his body sheltered her from the winter's chill.

But at the same time, pain erupted inside of her. She had the terrible feeling that this would be the last time that she would ever be wrapped in his arms again.

_"These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase…"_

"Matt… told me you were…" Beth had a hard time getting the last word out, so she gave up, knowing that her tears got the message across for her.

Jeff sighed, placing his hand beneath her chin and gently tilting her face up so she would look him in the eye. "I never really left you, Beth," he told her, lightly running his thumb over her tear-stained cheek. "I'm still here with you, even if you can't see me."

Beth took a deep breath, a few more tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared into his stunning green eyes. So, it was true. Jeff was really gone…

_"I'm so tired of being here_

_Suppressed by my childish fears_

_And if you have to leave_

_I wish that you would just leave_

_Because your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone…"_

"Please don't leave me," Beth begged as sobs shook her body once more. "I don't want you to go… I don't think I could make it on my own…"

"Beth, you will never be alone," Jeff muttered, sorrow crossing his face as he pulled her close and kissed her head. "Though you can't see me, I will still walk beside you. When you fall, I will still catch you. When you cry, I will still wipe away your tears. When you scream, I will still protect you from your fears. When you need me, I will still be there for you. When you feel alone, I will still love you. That will _never_ change, Beth."

These words were comforting to her, and Beth sighed as she looked up at Jeff again. At that moment, she realized just how deep their connection actually was. Their bond was so strong that even death couldn't sever it, their love being one that transcended the gap between life and the world beyond. This revelation filled her with a sense of peace.

Then, she closed her eyes and leaned forward, meeting Jeff's lips in an intense kiss. She longed to feel their softness one last time, to feel the completeness their gentleness provided since she would never do so again.

_"You used to captivate me_

_By your resonating light_

_But now I'm bound by the life you left behind_

_Your face, it haunts my once pleasant dreams_

_Your voice, it chased away all the sanity in me…"_

When they slowly and reluctantly broke the kiss, Beth smiled slightly as she looked up at him with excitement. "There's something I need to tell you, Jeffro," she said.

Jeff raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh? And what would that be?" he asked.

Beth was beaming now as she laughed a little, taking Jeff's hand and placing it gently on her stomach. "I'm pregnant," she answered in nearly a whisper as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes. "You're going to be a father."

Shock was clearly written on Jeff's face as he stared at his hand resting on her stomach. Though she wasn't visibly showing yet, he could almost feel the life that was forming inside of her. "A father…" he muttered as if he was testing out the word, laughing a little when she nodded in confirmation. "Beth, that… that's wonderful…"

"Are you happy?" That was the most important thing to Beth as she looked at his face intently. If he wasn't, then it probably wasn't worth having the child.

As if he felt her reluctance, Jeff raised his gaze to hers. "Yes," he told her simply, the joy he felt from this news radiating from his eyes. "Nothing would make me happier, Beth."

Beth felt a smile spread across her own face, feeling a tremendous amount of relief spread through her. She would have this child, she knew, since it would make the most important person in her life happy. "I just wish you could be here with me," she said longingly. "With _us_." She put emphasis on the last word as she looked down at his hand still resting on her stomach.

Jeff leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. "I know, but remember that I will never really leave you," he replied as he reluctantly pulled his hand away. "Stay strong, and take care of our child. I love you, Beth."

Something about his last statement caused her to panic, and Beth reached out and grabbed his hand when he took a couple of steps away from her. "No, Jeff. Please don't go!" she cried, feeling tears beginning to rise to her eyes again. "I need you…"

"I'll never be far away, Beth," Jeff assured her as he kissed her fingers and released her hand. "You'll know where to find me whenever you need me." Then, he leaned back against he painting of Jack where she had first seen him, and he was gone.

Beth's shoulders shook as a sob escaped from her, and she placed her hands on her stomach in an almost protective way. Even though she wanted to believe that Jeff was still with her, it was hard to see when he wasn't there beside her. That strange feeling of emptiness was still there…

But then, she gasped when she felt a sudden but gentle warmth surround her, a voice she knew well echoing clearly and quietly in her mind.

"_I love you, Beth."_

"I love you too, Jeffro," Beth whispered as she glanced up at the sky above her. "I love you too…"

_"I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_

_And though you're still with me_

_I've been alone all along…"_

* * *

Beth gasped quietly as she quickly opened her eyes, seeing that she was lying on the couch in the living room as the morning light flooded in through the window. Damn, it had only been a dream. But it had seemed so real… She could have sworn she actually felt him hold her, felt his lips against hers, felt his hand rest on her stomach…

How she had desperately hoped that Jeff had actually been with her, that the ice hadn't claimed his life. She prayed that it had all been some terrible dream and that the next time she opened her eyes, Jeff would be beside her like he always was and had promised her he always would be. But, she knew that wouldn't happen now. Jeff wasn't going to be coming back.

Then, Beth slowly raised her head when she heard a low voice talking quietly, and she saw that Matt was standing in the kitchen with his back to her. After a moment of intense listening, she heard that he was talking to his father. Telling him about what had happened to Jeff, no doubt. How Matt was able to hold himself together so well when the most important person in his life had just been taken away from him was incredible. She was trying to be strong like him, she really was, but it just wasn't as easy for her to deal with. Not to mention, it was a bit harder when her emotions were all haywire due to her pregnancy.

She sighed as she laid her head back down, not able to get that dream out of her mind. For a moment, Beth thought that she might have been losing her mind. She had _talked_ to Jeff, _felt_ his arms around her, _felt_ him kiss her. But yet, none of it had actually happened. She lightly ran her finger over her bottom lip where Jeff's had lingered. That felt so real also. But, he hadn't been there, and she knew it was only going to grow more painful the more she imagined he was.

"You'll know where to find me whenever you need me…"

Beth's eyes narrowed with confusion as she thought about this statement. It almost felt like Jeff had been telling her something, but she also knew that was impossible. The conversation with him had only been a dream, after all. But yet, some unknown and unexplainable force was drawing her to the "Imagi-Nation." It was a pull she couldn't ignore.

She cautiously raised her head, seeing that Matt was still facing away from her as he continued to talk to his father in hushed tones since he still thought she was sleeping, and she slowly got to her feet so she wouldn't catch his attention before hurrying across the living room without trying to make too much noise. Lucas looked up at her from where he was lying on the floor, but Beth held up her hand.

"Stay," she whispered so hopefully Matt wouldn't hear her. "Stay, Lucas."

Lucas still stared at her curiously, but fortunately, he remained where he was.

Beth inwardly sighed as she slipped her shoes on. The long-sleeved shirt she was wearing was relatively lightweight, but she knew that she didn't want to risk making noise by getting her coat out of the closet. She didn't want Matt to know what she was doing since she knew he wouldn't let her do this. She was going to have to deal with the cold, but she also knew that she didn't mind. It would be worth it if she could just provide closure for Jeff's death.

Glancing back just to make sure that Matt was still distracted, Beth opened the front door as quietly as she could and stepped out into the cold morning air, shutting it again behind her.

* * *

Matt sighed as he ended the call on his cell phone and put it back in his pocket, leaning heavily on the counter. Telling his father about his youngest son's death had been the most difficult thing he ever had to do. He suddenly understood what he had gone through explaining their mother's passing to him and Jeff…

But what surprised him the most was how calm his father had taken the news. He had expected to hear some sort of grief in his voice, but his tone had completely level and sturdy, containing no emotion. It had been almost unnerving. But, he also knew that his father was older than he was and was able to handle the tragedy in a way that he would probably never understand until he reached that age. And even still, it was probably just a mask to cover what he was truly feeling. He never had been one to visibly show his emotions.

Then, Matt turned on the sink and splashed some water on his face before grabbing a can of Monster out of the refrigerator. He was still half-expecting Jeff to come down the stairs any minute with a broad smile on his face before he started making coffee for him and Beth. But that wasn't going to happen, he knew. Jeff wasn't there, and he never would be again.

But one thing that he definitely agreed with his father about was the matter of Beth's safety. He hadn't seen the face of the man who had taken his brother's life, but the important thing was that he was still out there. He didn't want to risk leaving Beth home by herself when he couldn't be there with that man still possibly lurking around on the property. So, he would take his father's advice and get a gun for her to protect herself if she had to. The closest place he could do this was in Southern Pines, and knowing that she was uncomfortable in shops like that, he would drop Beth off at Gas Chamber Ink to stay with Shannon since he said she could whenever she wanted to while he took care of everything else.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes since he hadn't gotten as much sleep as Beth had, Matt slowly turned to look over his shoulder when he heard light, quiet footsteps, and he watched as Lucas entered the kitchen with one ear turned down- the typical sign that something was wrong. "What's up, Buddy?" he asked.

Lucas whined up at him before he turned and hurried back out of the kitchen before sitting by the couch. Matt narrowed his eyes as he set his energy drink down before following him out into the living room, starting to feel nervous. Was something wrong with Beth? "Britt?" the older Hardy said cautiously as he approached the couch, and his eyes widened in horror at what he saw.

Beth was gone.

"Britt!" Matt called, looking around as he started to walk toward the stairs. Where could she have gone? She had to still be somewhere in the house… "_Britt_!"

But then, Matt stopped when he heard Lucas whine again, and he saw that he was sitting in front of the door as he scratched at it. The older Hardy felt his stomach drop. Beth really wouldn't have gone out in the cold and with the threat of his brother's killer still looming around, would she? He quickly walked over to Lucas, seeing that her shoes were gone. Sighing with worry, Matt opened the closet to grab his spare coat, and he saw with surprise that Beth's coat was still there. Panic blossomed inside of him. If she was outside without it, she would freeze…

Wondering why Beth would do something like this but not really caring at the moment, Matt hurriedly zipped up his coat and grabbed hers before he rushed outside, hoping that he would be able to find her in time.

* * *

_"Remember_

_I will still be here_

_As long as you hold me_

_In your memory_

_Remember_

_When your dreams have ended_

_Time can be transcended_

_Just remember me…"_

Beth shivered as she slowly wandered through the "Imagi-Nation," looking up at the paintings that surrounded her before the motocross track as though she was in a daze. She remembered Jeff doing every one of these works since she had been there with him, and sorrow bloomed inside of her when she could almost hear him telling her that she had been the inspiration for each one when he had asked her to marry him.

This had been Jeff's sanctuary, his place of refuge to get away from the rest of the world. It was his own personal world inside his mind. Was it really a surprise that she didn't feel the same way about this place? It seemed different now, almost emptier since it creator was dead. Why was she even here? What did she expect to find? Jeff himself? Of course there would be nothing here. Jeff was gone, no matter how much she hoped otherwise, even though he was still alive here in this place through all that he had created.

_"I am the one star that keeps burning_

_So brightly_

_It is the last light_

_To fade into the rising sun_

_I'm with you whenever you tell_

_My story_

_For I am all I've done…"_

Beth sighed as she stopped in front of the portrait of Jack that Jeff had done recently, knowing that this was the place he had appeared to her in her dream. Did she expect the same to happen now? Her heart longed for it, but her mind told her that it wasn't possible. Jeff would not be coming back.

Then, her eyes narrowed in confusion when she spotted something black out of the corner of her eye. Beth turned to see what had caught her attention, and she gasped when she saw that it was a scarf wrapped around the tree beside the painting. She slowly wandered over and hesitantly reached out, slowly untying it with trembling fingers. It was damp and torn in some places, but Beth recognized it instantly.

It was Jeff's scarf.

Suddenly, a cold gust of wind rushed past her, and Beth whimpered quietly as she wrapped her arms tightly around her, shivering violently. She was absolutely freezing. But something else she noticed was that she could have sworn she heard her name being said quietly on the wind.

_"Beth…"_

"_I am the one voice in the cold wind_

_That whispers_

_And if you listen_

_You'll hear me call across the sky_

_As long as I still can reach out_

_And touch you_

_Then I will never die…"_

Beth slowly sat in the snow, wrapping the scar around her neck tightly. Though it was damp, she found that it still warmed her slightly as Jeff's subtle scent surrounded her. As her body continued to tremble from the coldness around her, she wondered if Matt would eventually find her here. But the real question that rose in her mind was did she _want_ Matt to find her? It was so tempting to just stay where she was and let the coldness take her, just as it had taken Jeff. At least she would be with him again…

_"Beth…"_

That voice that whispered her name… she desperately wanted to follow it. It was comforting to her. Beth sighed as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree, trying to ignore her shivering as she waited patiently for the numbness to begin to take effect.

_"Remember_

_I'll never leave you_

_If you will only_

_Remember me…"_

_"Beth…"_

She smiled slightly when she thought she heard her name again. _I'm coming, Jeff…_

"_Beth…"_

"Britt!"

At the sudden, anxious sound of her name, Beth slowly opened her eyes and watched as Matt knelt down in front of her. There was panic in his dark eyes as he looked down at her pale face, and he instantly wrapped her jacket around her tightly. She had to admit, the warmth felt good.

"Damn it, Britt, what do you think you're doing out here?" he demanded, brushing some hair out of her eyes. "You'll freeze to death!"

"I… I do-don't care…" Beth stuttered through chattering teeth as she shivered, wrapping her coat tighter around her. She was scared to realize that was the truth.

Matt looked alarmed at her response, but then, his face darkened in sorrow. "I know you don't really care about yourself right now, Britt," he muttered, taking her hand in his, "but what about your baby? Don't you care about that life? Doesn't it deserve a chance to live?"

Beth looked up at Matt for a long moment in shock. The baby… Of course she cared about the baby. That was her whole life now… Then, she ran her other hand through her hair as she began to sob. She hadn't had any intention of taking her own life, but she still couldn't believe how selfish she had been for that one moment… "I… I'm so so-sorry, Matt…"

The older Hardy sighed as he pulled the trembling Beth close to him for a moment as she cried. "Let's go home, Britt," he whispered gently. Beth slowly nodded through her sobs, and Matt carefully lifted her into his arms as he began to walk in the direction of the house, leaving the world Jeff had created behind them.

_"Remember_

_When your dreams have ended_

_Time can be transcended_

_I live forever_

_Remember me…"_

**Author's Note**: All right, so there's that one. The first section (which contains the song "My Immortal" by Evanescence) was actually based on personal experience involving someone close to me who has passed. But anyway, poor Beth. Let's hope that things work out for them. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	11. Rest in Peace

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, everybody! I'm glad you're all liking the story! Cookies for everyone for your reviews! I'm a bit short on time, so I'm gonna' cut straight to this and say this chapter is long, lol. But, I'm sure you don't mind! Hope you enjoy it! And yes, it is named after The Undertaker's theme song!

Chapter 11- Rest in Peace

**Artist**: _Jim Johnston_

"We're going to Southern Pines tomorrow, Britt," Matt said as he set a bowl of chicken noodle soup he had made on the table in front of her.

"Why?" Beth asked, almost a suspicious tone entering her voice as she looked up at the older Hardy.

Matt sighed as he handed her a spoon. "Well, you're going to be staying with Shannon while I-!"

"I don't need a babysitter, Matt," Beth snapped, interrupting his answer as she took a spoonful of soup.

"After that stunt you jut pulled, Britt?" Mat demanded, a bit more forceful than he meant to. Beth sighed with annoyance but otherwise ignored his comment, so he continued. "We're going to Southern Pines so I can get you a gun for protection, okay?"

Beth looked up at him with shock for a moment. "I don't think that's really necessary, Matt."

"Well, I do," Matt told her. "If there's still some raging psychopath still on the property, I just want to make sure that you're safe if I'm not here. I don't want to leave your safety in the hands of police that would take forever to get here if we called."

"I'm a big girl, Matt," Beth replied, eerily calmly. "I think I can take care of myself."

Matt was instantly reminded of all the times where Jeff had told him that he could take care of himself when he was in some sort of trouble as they grew up, and he was fueled by that inner emotion in his response. "Well, Jeff could have taken care of himself too, and look what happened to him!"

Beth looked up at Matt as though she had just been slapped in the face. The older Hardy immediately wished that he wouldn't have said those words, but the damage had already been done. "Britt, I'm sorry," he muttered. " I didn't mean it…"

"No, Matt," Beth said as she quickly got to her feet. "You can go to Southern Pines by your own damn self tomorrow." Then, she turned and left the kitchen, hurrying up the stairs and out of sight.

"Britt, come on. I didn't mean it!" Matt sighed when he realized his words had no effect, and he picked up her nearly full bowl and placed it by the sink. He had no idea why that had slipped out, it just had. It was probably because of the heavy tension already handing over them. But he desperately wished that it hadn't, and he would have given anything to turn back time just a little and take those words back. But, he couldn't no matter how badly they had stung his little sister.

After rinsing the bowl out, Matt slowly wandered into the living room, and his eyes landed on the black scarf draped over the chair. There was no doubt that it belonged to his younger brother. But the fact that it had been left for Beth to find was just adding insult to injury. It was hard enough for her to handle Jeff being taken from her, but to leave some of him behind was tormenting. He was going to kill whoever did this, he was sure of it.

Matt then stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes with a sigh. This all still felt like some terrible nightmare that he couldn't wake up from, no matter how much he tried. None of it seemed possible…

He must have dozed off, because the next thing Matt remembered was being roused by a blanket being gently laid over him. "Britt…" he muttered, looking up at her with surprise. The last time he had seen her, she had been furious at him.

Beth smiled down at him. "Hey," she said, lightly brushing some of his dark curls out of his face. "I'm sorry for overreacting before."

"That's all right. I shouldn't have said that." Matt stretched a little as he looked around, seeing that the sun was beginning to set. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost the whole afternoon," Beth told him. "But, you needed the rest. Besides, we have a long day in Southern Pines tomorrow."

* * *

"You know who did this, don't you?"

Matt and Beth had left the house early the next afternoon to go to Southern Pines, North Carolina so he could drop her off at Gas Chamber Ink while he went to buy her a gun for protection while she was home by herself. "What do you mean, Britt?" he asked. This was the first word she had spoken on their entire drive so far.

Beth sighed as she turned to look at Matt. "The one who… took Jeff," she answered, hesitating a bit on her words. "You know it had to be Brittany."

"Beth… the person who took Jeff was a man," Matt gently reminded her.

"So? She can still have someone working for her," Beth pointed out. "My point is, we have no other real enemies, Matt."

That was true. "Okay, so let's say that Brittany is the one behind it," Matt mused. "Why would she want to get rid of Jeff."

Beth shrugged. "I don't know how her messed up mind works. Maybe it was her obsession," she replied. "I mean, if she's got that big of an obsession with Jeff and knows that she will never have him, maybe she was drawn to kill the object of her obsession so no one else could have him. It's happened…"

Matt glanced at her with a smirk. "You were watching _Criminal Minds_ again, weren't you?" he wondered.

"And?" Beth muttered defensively. "What about it?"

The older Hardy laughed a little as he looked back at the road ahead of him. "I saw that episode. It was a good one."

Beth smiled in response as Matt pulled into the parking lot for Gas Chamber Ink, not bothering to turn off the car as he unlocked the doors. "There you are, Britt," he said. "Have fun. I'll be back soon. It shouldn't take too long."

"All right. Thanks, Matt." Beth smiled slightly as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, sighing as she turned and walked to the door of their friend's tattoo shop. Matt waited until she was inside before leaving the parking lot to take care of what he had to do.

When she entered the shop with its black and white tiled floor and light purple walls, Beth noticed that it wasn't busy at all since it was still early. She saw Shane sitting behind the counter with his feet resting on top of it as he leaned back in his chair, looking completely bored as he read a magazine that was a few weeks old. He looked up when he heard her approach, and he gave her a kind smile when he saw who it was.

"Hey, how ya' doing, Beth?" he asked, tossing the magazine aside as he got to his feet and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm okay, I guess," Beth answered as she tried to give him a sincere smile. "I'm hanging in there."

Shane gave her a sympathetic look as he held her by the shoulders. "Listen, I'm really sorry about Jeff," he told her quietly. After all, he had done the majority of the Hardy Boyz tattoo on his back. "He was a good guy."

Beth nodded as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes. But, she took a deep, steadying breath as she blinked them away. Plus, her friend's sturdy hands on her shoulders helped to calm her down. "Uh, I'm here for Shannon…"

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Shane nodded to a door near the back of the shop. "He's in the back room. Good luck. Last I heard, he was in a pretty heated conversation with Julie."

"Okay. Thank you." Beth turned and walked across the shop, leaning in the doorway as she looked in the back room. Shannon was there all right, and by the sound of it, the term "heated" wasn't an understatement to describe his conversation.

"I know we're supposed to leave for the weekend, Julie, but my best friend just fucking died, okay?" he was anxiously saying into his cell phone. "I think they can surely understand that!" There was a moment's pause before he continued a bit more calmly. "I think we're doing that memorial thing tonight since tomorrow's Christmas Eve. Yeah. Just tell them I won't be able to make it. I don't see how they _wouldn't_ understand." There was another pause before his voice rose again. "Well, just tell them whatever the hell you want then, I really don't care right now!"

Then, Shannon sighed as he put his face in his hand. "I'm sorry for snapping, Julie, I didn't mean it," he muttered. "I'm just under a lot of stress right now, as we all are. And Beth's going to be here soon, and-!"

Beth quietly cleared her throat, not wanting to eavesdrop anymore, and Shannon quickly looked up. "Oh, uh, actually, Beth just got here. I have to, uh… go keep her company… I'll talk to you later, okay? Have a safe flight, and I'll see you when you get home on Tuesday. I'll come pick you up when your flight lands. Okay, love you too. Bye."

"Everything okay?" Beth asked as Shannon sighed and set his cell phone down on his desk. She had never really heard him and his wife fight before.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Shannon answered as he got to his feet and wrapped her up in a quick hug. "Her flight leaves in a half hour. We were supposed to go visit some of her family in Chicago for Christmas, but after everything that's happened…"

Beth nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry you couldn't go with her, Shan," she muttered.

Shannon shrugged as he gave her a small smile. "Hey, that's okay. It's not like I'll never see them again," he told her. "I feel more right being here now, you know?" Then, his smile broadened. "So, are you excited about the baby?"

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to be again," Beth replied, smiling slightly as she placed her hand on her stomach. "It will be an experience, that's for sure. But, hey, can I ask you something, Shan?"

"Sure, Beth, what's up?"

Beth gave him a smile. "Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the baby lately," she said. "And I was wondering if you would want to consider being the godfather."

Shannon looked at her with surprise. "Do you mean it?" When Beth nodded, his face lit up. "Yeah, definitely! I would love to!"

"Thanks, Shan!" Beth laughed a little as she hugged him tightly. "That would mean a lot to me."

"It would mean a lot to me too," Shannon agreed quietly, his smile lingering. Beth gave him a broad smile in return, but before they could continue their conversation, Shannon sighed when his cell phone went off again. "Sorry, I've gotta' answer that."

Beth watched as Shannon released her and went back to his desk, answering the call. "Gas Chamber Ink, this is Shannon." She sighed too, turning and leaving the room since she didn't want to listen in on another conversation as she entered the main part of the shop. What surprised her was that Shan had disappeared, leaving her the only one there. Beth looked around curiously for a moment, wondering where he had gone before she wandered over to the large, glass display case, looking at the various rings and other things being sold in mini coffins. Some were really interesting, and she knew she would definitely have to consider buying something one of these days.

"Fancy seeing you here, Beth."

She gasped quietly before quickly turning around, not expecting the sudden voice since she hadn't heard the door open, and she saw a man with long, black hair walking toward her. "Luke," Beth muttered, taking a deep breath to try to will her racing heart back to its normal rate. "It's good to see you."

Luke smiled at her as he stopped in front of her. "I didn't really expect you to be a tattoo person, Beth," he said lightly.

"Oh, I'm really not," Beth told him with a slight laugh, remembering how heavily tattooed his arms were. "I'm visiting one of my best friends, who owns this place. But, Jeff-!" She stopped, finding the memory of his tattoos painful since he had gotten a lot of them from the very building where she was now standing in.

"Is everything all right?" Luke asked, noticing her hesitation.

Beth nodded, taking a deep breath as she tried to blink her tears away. "Yeah, everything's fine," she answered quietly. She had just met Luke recently. She didn't want to burden him down with her problems.

A look of what appeared to be sympathy crossed Luke's face. "Why don't we go for a walk, Beth?" he wondered. "Talking about whatever's on your mind will probably help."

"_Don't do it."_

"I don't know," Beth muttered when she heard the small voice in her head that sounded eerily like Jeff. She had been hearing that a lot lately. "I really came to spend some time with my friend…" Again, she saw no point in telling him everything to worry him.

Luke shrugged. "Well, all right then. But if you ever want to talk, I'll be willing to listen."

Beth watched as he turned and headed for the door, biting her bottom lip as she glanced at the back room behind her. What was she so worried about? She could take care of herself. And since Shannon was busy, she didn't see the harm in spending time with someone else she knew for just a few minutes. "Luke, wait!"

"_Don't do it, Beth."_ The voice was a little more forceful this time.

"Yes?" Luke stopped and looked over his shoulder when she spoke.

"A walk sounds nice,' Beth said with a slight smile. "It'll be good to clear my head a bit."

Luke returned the smile as he nodded to the door. "Come on, then," he replied. "I won't keep you long."

"_Beth, please don't do this…"_ This time, the voice was pleading, but also a bit louder.

Tuning out that voice in her mind, Beth nodded and walked over to where he was standing, not even seeing Shane's look of surprise when he entered the room again as Luke opened the door for her, allowing her to leave the shop first as they stepped out into the cold.

* * *

"Yeah, no problem. Thanks for calling. Uh-huh. Bye." Shannon ended the call on his cell phone and put it in his pocket with a sigh. It was always interesting to get a call from relatives of a friend's calling him and asking how much getting a tattoo would hurt- not how much it would cost, but how much it would hurt. It almost amused him, really. There were a lot of people who wanted to come to Gas Chamber Ink just to see him and not even look at anything in the shop. People were weird.

Then, Shannon sighed as he left the back room to find Beth, but he stopped with confusion when he saw that she was nowhere to be seen. "Beth?" he asked as he looked around. "Beth?" Where could she have gone in _this_ place without being seen?

"Uh, Shannon?"

"What?" Shannon demanded when he herd the voice he knew belonged to Shan. In truth, he was freaked out. He had somehow _lost_ Beth. Matt was going to kill him.

Shane looked at him uncomfortably. "Beth just left with a man," he told him quietly. "I didn't recognize him."

Shannon froze. Beth had left with some guy they didn't know? "What did he look like?" he pressed anxiously.

"Um, long black hair, about shoulder-length, dark eyes," Shane said. "That's about all I can say other than he was wearing a black trench coat. But, they seemed friendly together, so I think she went willingly. But still, there's something I don't trust about him."

"Shit! I'm supposed to be _watching_ her, Man!" Shannon hissed frantically. "Which way did they go?"

Shane pointed to the right. "They went that way."

Shannon sighed as he slipped on his coat. "Thanks, Man," he replied. "Take care of the place while I'm gone, okay?"

"No problem, Man."

Wondering who this guy was and how he knew Beth, Shannon quickly grabbed an extra tattoo needle and stuffed it in his pocket for good measure before rushing out of Gas Chamber Ink, determined to get her back.

* * *

"So, what's going on that has you so shaken up?" Luke asked as they slowly walked down the sidewalk together.

Beth sighed, slowly reaching up and brushing some stray hair out of her face. "A lot of things have been… rough lately," she answered quietly.

Luke's eyes flickered with interest when a glint of silver on her left hand caught his eyes, and he noticed the small ring on her finger. "Beth, that's a beautiful ring," he commented.

"Oh, thank you," Beth said as she looked down on it, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes. "Jeff gave it to me when we got engaged… or , we were… I don't know…"

_Engaged_? Brittany hadn't mentioned anything about that. How did she expect him to break apart an engaged couple about to start their lives in a new way together just so she could have a man who obviously didn't return her crazy feelings? It wasn't possible… But by the way Beth was talking now, it sounded like something in their relationship had changed dramatically. "And, are you not happy to be engaged?" Luke wondered, confused. They had seemed so happy together the last time he saw them.

"No, that's not it," Beth muttered as she sniffed and wiped her tears away. "It's… it's just…"

Luke raised an eyebrow as he stopped walking, Beth doing the same next to him. "Just what?"

Beth took a deep breath and slowly looked up at him, and Luke felt his breath catch when he saw the clear grief etched in her face. What had happened to make her feel like this? But before he could ask her what was wrong, another familiar voice came from beside them, and Luke inwardly sighed, wishing that she hadn't chosen that moment to appear.

"Hello again, Beth."

That was the last voice she wanted to hear at the moment. Beth angrily turned to face the new arrival, the mere sight of her making her feel sick. "What are you doing here, Brittany?" she demanded. "Jeff told you to stay the hell away from us!"

Brittany Howe smirked back at her. "Yes, but he's not here at the moment, now is he?" she replied coolly. "Which is a pity, since I think he should see this."

"See what?" Beth snapped. "What are you talking about?"

But she didn't get an answer. Instead, Beth yelped when a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her, trapping her as the cold blade of a pocketknife pressed lightly against her throat. Completely panicked, her eyes darted up to the man who held her. "Luke? _You're_ with _her_?" _Why_ hadn't she listened to that voice back at Gas Chamber Ink?

Luke sighed, and for a moment, Beth thought she saw reluctance flash across his face. "I'm sorry, Beth," he told her quietly. " I really am."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Beth," Brittany mocked. "But now, we can see if Jeff would actually waste his time and come for you again."

Tears stung Beth's eyes, not only at this last statement, but also at Luke's betrayal. She thought she had found someone else that she could at least rely on, which was especially important after Jeff's death, but now, that was completely crushed. "Don't play dumb, Brittany," she hissed forcefully.

Brittany narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Beth laughed hollowly as a couple more tears fell from her eyes, ignoring the blade against her neck. "Jeff's dead, Brittany," she said in nearly a whisper. "But you already knew that. _You're _the ones who killed him!"

Between the slight slack she felt in Luke's hold on her and the terror on Brittany's face, Beth started to rethink her statement. Could she have been wrong? Could someone else have really taken the love of her life away from her? But the only question was, who? Who else would have done this?

"You… you're lying…" Brittany protested as she shook her head in denial. "Jeff's not dead… He can't be…"

"He is." Beth didn't know what else to say to this girl- this one girl who had made her life hell. She was clearly upset, but there would be no sympathy coming from her.

But before Brittany could say anything more, a new voice startled them all. "Get away from her!"

Beth felt more tears form in her eyes as she watched Shannon stop near them, pulling out what looked like a tattoo needle and holding it out in front of him offensively. Brittany smirked, brushing her fear aside when she saw this. "Oh, and what are you going to do with that?" she asked sweetly, clearly not worried about the new arrival.

"Nothing. It's what _I _could do with _this_ that you should be concerned about."

Brittany turned to her other side to see who had interrupted them now, and she was shocked to see Matt Hardy aiming a handgun at her forehead. "Let her go," he threatened, moving his dark eyes to Luke," or I swear, I will shoot her."

"You can't, because then, you would be charged for murder," Brittany said confidently while Beth tensed in Luke's hold.

Matt smirked at her. "I wouldn't test me when my little brother was recently killed," he told her darkly. "Besides, with you threatening Beth, I could claim self defense. But, we wouldn't have to worry about any of the details if you just let her go."

Everyone was silent and still for a long moment that seemed to drag on forever. Finally, Luke lowered the knife from Beth's neck before shoving her away from him, watching as she fell to the sidewalk. Shannon immediately put his makeshift weapon back in his pocket and knelt down next to her, wrapping her tightly in his arms as he gently pulled her to her feet.

"Now, get out of here," Matt said once he was sure Beth was safe, "before I call the police."

Brittany glared darkly at Matt before warily looking at the gun that was still trained on her. Then, she stormed past him without a word, and Luke slowly and hesitantly followed after her.

Matt lowered the gun once he was sure they were gone, and he hurried over to Beth and Shannon. "See what this thing can do, Britt?" he asked as he handed it to her. "I want you to get comfortable with it and keep it near you."

Beth sighed as she looked down at the metallic weapon in her hand. She hated guns and was almost sure that she wouldn't have to use it, but she would take it anyway if it gave Matt some peace of mind. "Thanks, Matt," she muttered as she put it in her coat pocket so she wouldn't have to look at it. "But all I want to do now is just go home."

* * *

The memorial they had for Jeff was short and simple. Without a body to bury, they couldn't exactly have a funeral, so instead, they put bouquets of roses and wreaths at the base of his favorite painting in the "Imagi-Nation." Beth knew that it nearly didn't do him justice, but it was the best they could do. She also knew that he would always live on in their hearts and memories.

When Christmas Eve rolled around the next day, there wasn't much celebrating. Shannon came over for a couple of hours to bring the presents he and Julie had gotten for the Hardy family, including Jeff, and they put them under the Christmas tree. When he left that evening to spend time with some other friends, Matt and Beth looked through some older photo albums of past holidays, and they were both silently crying by the time they got through them all.

When Matt finally began to head upstairs to go to bed, he asked Beth if there was _anything_ he could do to make this Christmas special for her. The only thing she told him was impossible- bring Jeff back to her. Disheartened by her response, Matt went up to his room.

Midnight. Last time Beth had been up this late by herself on Christmas Eve was when she was a young girl, waiting for Santa to come until her brother caught her. But now, she was up for a much different, darker reason. She had always believed that there was something magical about Christmas Eve, and she loved spending this night with Jeff. She found that it was difficult to sleep, difficult to spend this night without him.

Then, Beth looked over her shoulder when she heard Lucas whine, watching as he scratched anxiously at the door. "You don't want to go outside again, do you, Lucas?" she asked quietly as she stretched a little. "You were just out."

But Lucas continued to whine and scratch at the door, so Beth sighed as she got to her feet. "Well, if you gotta' go you gotta' go, I guess," she muttered. She picked up her new handgun from the small table next to her, knowing Matt would be happy if she took it, and pulled a sweater over her head. Then, she opened the door to let Lucas run out, but instead, the terrier stayed inside, barking at something in the night.

Beth instantly felt nervous. "What is it?" she whispered. "Lucas, what do you see?" Her anxiety continued to steadily rise as Lucas kept barking. She slowly raised her gaze, squinting to try to see in the darkness, her hand automatically moving to the gun in her sweater pocket.

Then, her eyes widened with fear when she saw a dark figure slowly walking across the lawn toward the house. "Don't come any closer," Beth said hopefully with authority, pulling out the metallic weapon and aiming it at the intruder. For the first time Matt said he was going to get it for her and since she had signed the paper for it, she was relieved she had the gun. "I will call the police!"

The figure stopped at her words, standing completely still as they stared intently back at her. Beth's hands began to tremble under their gaze as she pointed the gun at this person, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves and rested her finger lightly on the trigger. Then, the stranger wavered, collapsing to the snow.

Beth lowered the gun when she saw that whoever it was wasn't moving, and she cautiously stepped out into the night and slowly walked across the snowy lawn to where they were lying. She knelt next to them, keeping the gun ready in her hand in case she needed it as she placed her hand lightly on their back, seeing that they were still alive. Then, she carefully turned what she now knew was a man onto his back to see his identity.

Her eyes widened as her heart nearly stopped when she saw his face, her scream echoing in the nigh air around her.

**Author's Note**: Hmm… doesn't sound too good, does it? Find out who it is next time! Oh, and if you're curious, there is now a picture of Luke on my profile under the Brittany and Eric ones, so feel free to look. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	12. Against All Odds

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Wow, thanks to **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **xOallisonqtOx**, **dumwolf16**, **the hardy boyz lover** (for also getting me to finish this chapter by today, lol!), and **gonzalez89 **for your awesome reviews! I love them all! Um, today wasn't that great for me, so the reviews definitely brightened it up somewhat! Thank you so much, guys! And uh, you all seem pretty confident on who this person showing up in the middle of the night is. Should we see if you were right?

Chapter 12- Against All Odds

**Artist**: _Phil Collins_

"_Take a good look at me now_

'_Cause I'll still be standing here_

_And you coming back to me_

_Is against all odds_

_It's the chance I've got to take…"_

Matt sighed as he stretched out on his bed, mindlessly watching _Miracle on 34__th__ Street_. This was his very first Christmas Eve without Jeff, and there were so many emotions running rampant within him that it was impossible to tell which one he should focus on first- sorrow… rage… confusion… emptiness… guilt… It was all mind numbing. He desperately hoped that going over to his father's house with Beth the next day would help make the holiday feel a bit more like Christmas for both of them.

Suddenly, he heard a loud scream come from outside, and Matt immediately sat up, feeling wide awake. "Britt…" What was going on? Was she in danger? He didn't waste too much time thinking about it. The older Hardy immediately got out of bed and threw on a sweater before rushing out of his room and down the stairs. He saw that Lucas was sitting by the open front door, continually barking at something in the night outside. What the hell was going on?

Without wasting another minute, Matt ran out into the cold, looking anxiously around for Beth. "_Britt_!" he called.

"Over here!"

Relieved to hear that she sounded okay, Matt hurried in the direction of her voice, and he soon found her kneeling in the snow with a dark figure lying beside her. "Britt, what-!"

"Matt, call an ambulance," Beth interrupted him in a rush as she looked up at him. "I would have, but my cell phone was inside and I couldn't leave him. Hurry!"

The older Hardy quickly pulled out his cell phone, but he bent down beside her to see who he was calling an ambulance for. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the man's face.

Lying with his head resting in Beth's lap was Jeff.

* * *

The note had been written even before he had first attacked the younger Hardy. That had been his intention, to let him suffer slowly as he froze in a watery grave. What he had not anticipated was the interference of his older brother and best friend. But Jeff had looked as though he was close to death when they pulled him out of the lake and when he had to chase the other two men away. It had been a surprise to him when he had come to back to where he had left him and found he was gone.

But, he figured the other man wouldn't have lasted long in the elements anyway. Being drenched, hypothermia would have killed him pretty quickly. That was why he had still left the note to be found by those close to him since Jeff was going to die anyway.

Yet somehow, after a couple days of being missing, he still showed up at the house _alive_. How was that even possible? Everything had been against him. He should have died. But yet, there he was, being tenderly looked after by his girlfriend while his brother wrapped him in blankets and called for an ambulance. Was he really that invincible? It was impossible…

The man sighed from where he watched the scene play out in front of him for another minute before turning and walking back into the trees. This was not the first time he had failed in taking the younger Hardy's life, but he knew he couldn't stop trying. He would succeed eventually. After all, it was only right after what his brother had done. He would get his revenge.

He would only have to wait until the time was right.

* * *

Beth paced nervously in the emergency room waiting area, so many thoughts running through her mind that she couldn't keep track of them all.

Jeff was alive. She had spent so much time telling herself that he was gone that she was finally starting to accept that fact. Now that he was suddenly thrown back into her life, she didn't know what to think. Relief was first and foremost, of course, but there was so much else swarming through her that it was causing her mind to go into shock. This was not how she had planned on spending Christmas Eve, but at that moment, she knew that she would rather have Jeff alive instead of somewhere under the ice.

Matt sighed as he watched Beth pace, getting dizzy just following her. "Come on, Britt," he muttered as he got to his feet, putting his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "Why don't you sit before you drive yourself crazy?"

"I can't Matt," Beth said quietly as she looked up at him anxiously. "I want to know how Jeff is." _And find out how he's alive…_ she added silently to herself. He hadn't been in good condition while they had waited for the ambulance. Jeff had been shivering uncontrollably the entire time, so Matt had wrapped him up in practically every blanket they owned to try to keep him warm. But what concerned her even more was how slow his breathing had gotten… She just hoped that he would be okay. It had been more than two hours, and they hadn't heard a thing.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Britt," Matt agreed quietly as he wrapped his arms around her. He was very worried about his younger brother also. "But he's strong. I'm sure he'll pull through. But see, miracles can happen, Britt."

Beth nodded in agreement as she leaned into his embrace. That's exactly what this was- a miracle.

Then, they both watched as the young doctor with blond hair that had been assigned to Jeff came through the door with his clipboard. "Family of Jeff Hardy?"

Matt and Beth hurriedly walked over, both anxious to hear any news at all. "How is he?" the older Hardy asked while Beth clung to his arm with worry.

"Well, all I can say is that your brother is _extremely_ fortunate, Mr. Hardy," the doctor answered with a sigh. "By all reasoning, he should be dead after all he went through. I don't know how he pulled through. His will to live must have been very strong."

"Is he going to be okay?" Beth's impatience and concern was clear. Though he had said Jeff was fortunate, the rest of his statement didn't sound too promising.

The doctor gave her a reassuring smile. "He wasn't in good condition when he was brought in," he explained. "He did have hypothermia, so wrapping him in all those blankets was the right decision. We removed his wet clothes and put on some heavier dry ones as well as wrapped him in more blankets to keep him warm. We didn't want to throw him in hot water since that would cause him to go into shock. But, his body temperature is being constantly monitored, and that is going in the right direction.

"The other thing that concerned us was his slow breathing. We had him on oxygen for a little while, but now he seems to be able to breathe fine on his own, so that is no longer an issue. Other than that, he has some cuts on his upper body and some bruises on his head and face, but after some warmth and rest, he will be just fine."

Beth breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned weakly against Matt. This was truly a Christmas miracle. "Oh, thank God…"

"Can we see him?" Matt wondered, wrapping his arm around Beth to support her.

The doctor noticeably hesitated at this. "Well… I think only one visitor at a time for right now would be best," he told them. "He was been drifting in and out of consciousness ever since he got here, and he might be a little confused about where he is, what he's doing here, or even just what happened in general. So, I think only one person with him would be the best option at this point."

Matt nodded as he looked down on Beth. "You go first, Britt," he told her. "I'm going to try calling Shan again."

Beth quickly looked up at him. "Are you sure? I mean, you're his brother…"

"And you're his fiancée," Matt countered with a broad smile. "Go see him, Britt."

"Thank you, Matt," Beth whispered, a thin line of tears in her eyes. Then, she followed the doctor through the door and down the hallway to what must have been Jeff's room. He opened the door and gave Beth a kind smile as she entered, closing it again behind her again to leave her alone with the most important man in her life, who she had believed to be dead only a couple short hours ago. She sighed heavily at the sight before her.

Jeff was lying in on the bed with an ugly-colored sweater on, covered in a few layers of blankets. She could tell by his slightly pale face that his body temperature wasn't quite up to where it needed to be yet, but at least his lips were no longer the critical blue shade. That was a good sign. It was truly a miracle that he was there at all.

Beth slowly sat in the uncomfortable chair beside the bed, reaching under the blankets and wrapping her hand around his colder one. "Jeff, I don't know if you can hear me, but it's Beth," she said quietly, laughing a little as he wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. "Things have been… different while you were gone. I have so much to tell you. But… I'm so glad you're here. I love you so, so much…"

Then, she grasped when she felt Jeff's hand twitch a little under hers. "Jeff?" She leaned forward, wondering if that had been real of if she was just imagining it. "Jeffro?"

For a long moment, he didn't respond. But then, Beth definitely felt Jeff's hand turn under hers so that his fingers weakly wrapped around her hand. "Jeff?" she muttered, tenderly running her fingers over his face. "Are you awake?"

After another minute, Jeff quietly groaned as his eyes slowly fluttered open, his weary gaze quickly moving around the room before resting on the woman sitting beside him. "…Beth…"

Beth smiled back down at him, ignoring the tears that pricked her eyes as she squeezed his hand. "Yes, Jeff," she said. "I'm here."

Jeff smiled weakly back up at her, but then, panic flared in his green eyes as he looked at the white walls around him again. "Where…?"

"Shh," Beth comforted him as she ran her fingers through his hair. "It's all right now, you're safe. You're going to be just fine, hon. I promise."

"Then why am I in the hospital?" Jeff asked quietly.

Beth sighed sadly, remembering what the doctor had said about him possibly being a bit confused. "Well, you had hypothermia," she answered gently. "But you're going to be fine."

Understanding suddenly flared in Jeff's green eyes, and his face darkened. "I remember," he whispered thoughtfully. "The gunshot… the ice breaking…" It was all so clear in his mind.

"What happened, Jeffro?" Beth wondered hesitantly. She hadn't wanted to bring up the incident, but since he had, she felt better asking him now.

Jeff slowly looked over at her. "I was walking Lucas," he explained, his eyebrows coming together as he tried to gather all the details. "Then, there was a gunshot, but it only skimmed my shoulder. I told Lucas to run, and then this man just kept attacking me. I really couldn't see his face too well, but the little I did see was horribly burnt and scarred… It scared the shit out of me, to be honest. Anyway, he knocked me onto the ice. He was about to shoot me, but then, the ice broke under me, and I feel through. There's no way to even begin to describe how shocking that was…

"The next thing I remember is Matt shouting at me, and he finally pulls me out of the lake. He switched my drenched coat with his warmer dry one, and I think that's one of the reasons I'm still here. But then, there were more gunshots, and Matt and Shannon were chased away by the man who attacked me. It must have been adrenaline, but I was somehow able to get away from there."

"Wait," Beth muttered, not meaning to interrupt but was very confused. "You were never tossed back in the lake a second time?"

Jeff slowly shook his head. "No, I was hiding in the trees by the time the man came back for me," he told her. "Why do you ask?"

Beth narrowed her eyes. Matt had shown her the note that her fiancé's supposed killer had left behind, and it had clearly stated that Jeff had drowned. The only answer she could come up with was that it had been pre-written. But she was instantly glad about this. Jeff most likely would have died if he had been in the lake again. "No reason," she replied. "Go ahead, continue."

He looked at her with slight confusion, but he continued anyway. "My pendant had fallen off sometime during the scuffle, but I couldn't risk going back for it." Jeff sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. This was the most he had talked in quite some time, and it was starting to take its toll. He was glad to have Beth there for support as she squeezed his hand. "So, I just continued to aimlessly walk. It almost felt like I was going in circles. I was weak and freezing… I thought I was going to die.

"But… I kept seeing you, Beth, almost leading me along. I didn't want to leave you. I honestly can't tell you how I made it, but I was somehow able to get to our new house. I stayed there for I don't know how many days it was. Time meant nothing to me. But, I have to say thank you for putting those blankets in there to help with the draftiness. That helped a lot. I stayed there until I gathered up enough strength to try to go back to Matt's house, and that's when you found me."

Beth felt tears form in her eyes. All this time, Jeff had really been alive and staying in the one place where she had refused to go- their almost completed new house. It would have been too painful to see the future they could have had together, but over the past couple of days, believed they wouldn't. It was all very overwhelming.

"Don't cry, Beth," Jeff muttered as he slowly sat up and moved over a little, tightening his hand around hers as he gestured to the space on the bed next to him. "Everything's going to be okay."

"I know," Beth whispered through her tears as she clutched Jeff's hands tightly. "It's just… I thought you were dead…"

Jeff sighed as he lightly kissed her fingers. "I'll never leave you, Beth, not matter what happens," he told her sincerely. "Now, come on."

Beth sniffed as she wiped her tears away, taking a deep breath as she sat on the bed next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, curling up against his side. Jeff wrapped his arms and the blankets around her, pulling her close. It felt so good to be in his arms again… "I need to tell you something, Jeff," she muttered, a small smile spreading across her face when she decided to tell him what good thing had happened over the past couple days.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Jeff wondered quietly, raising a curious eyebrow.

Smiling with excitement, Beth looked up at him. She gently took Jeff's hand and lightly placed it on her stomach. "I'm pregnant," she said, her eyes shining as a thin line of tears formed in them. "You're going to be a father."

Jeff stared at her in shock. Though she wasn't visibly showing yet, he could almost feel the life forming inside of her under his hand. "A father…" he muttered as if testing out the word, laughing a little when she nodded in confirmation. "Beth, that… that's wonderful…"

"Are you happy?" Beth looked at him nervously. That was the most important thing to her.

Feeling her concern, Jeff raised his gaze to hers, and she was encouraged to feel the joy radiating from his green eyes. "Yes," he told her simply with a broad smile. "Nothing could make me happier, Beth."

Beth couldn't help but laugh at his answer as a couple of tears fell from her eyes, feeling overwhelming joy and relief swarm over her. She was going to be a mother. She wasn't going to be alone. She and Jeff were going to be parents. They would raise their child together, and that was the best thing in the world…

Then, Beth leaned forward, catching Jeff's lips in an intense kiss. She had missed their softness, their gentleness, especially since she had thought she would never feel them again. They were still a little cold, but that was to be expected. If anything, this would even help to _raise_ his body temperature…

But Jeff must have felt the same way she had since he kissed her with even more passion. At that moment, Beth was relieved that the doctor had told them only one visitor at a time. Otherwise, they wouldn't have had this moment…

Jeff was alive, that was all that mattered. He was with her again, and she wasn't going to let that change. She was wrapped in his arms, just as she was supposed to be. And there was never going to be another time where that would be any different.

"I love you," Beth whispered, her lips still lingering only a small distance from hers after they broke the kiss.

Resting his forehead against hers, Jeff quickly but intensely kissed her again. "I love you too, Beth."

**Author's Note**: Wouldn't it be terrible if that was only a dream? Lol, I'm not _that_ mean, don't worry. Things are looking good now, but how many of you are willing to bet that things are going to start getting worse in a little bit? Leave me your thoughts! Thanks for reading, guys! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	13. Wherever You Will Go

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, everybody! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter. Thank you so much to **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **Graelam**, **xOallisonqtOx**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **the hardy boyz lover**, **gonzalez89**, **ponygirl-loves-mcqueen**, and **dumwolf16** for your awesome reviews! And yes, Jeff is alive. Lol. Just a note, this isn't one of my favorite chapters I've done for this story (I'm hoping you all like it though!), and it's more of a transition than anything. The next chapter will definitely start to pick up again. But, there are some redeeming points to this chapter that I hope you guys enjoy. And a shoutout to my awesome buds **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.- **and **Expect-the-Unexpected75** since your recent updates have inspired me to get through this chapter! You guys should look at their stories, they're amazing! You are both awesome! All right, with that said, enjoy this chapter, guys!

Chapter 13- Wherever You Will Go

**Artist**: _The Calling_

Matt sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room as though he was in a daze. His little brother was alive. Only a couple of short hours ago, he had thought he was dead, and had finally been starting to accept it. It was truly amazing how the world could change so drastically in that short amount of time. It was mind-boggling.

Then, he slowly looked up when he heard the automatic door sliding open, and he watched as an out-of-breath Shannon Moore quickly entered the waiting area. "Damn, I hate emergency room parking," he muttered as he tried to settle his breathing.

"Thanks for coming so late, Shan," Matt said as he approached his younger friend. "I really appreciate it, and I know Jeff will too."

"Of course. It's not a problem, Man," Shannon replied with a smile. "How is he anyway?"

Matt sighed. "Well, the doctor said he would be fine after some time to warm up and rest," he explained. "But he also said it was a miracle he survived. With everything that happened, he should have died."

Shannon nodded. "From what I remember seeing of him that night, I didn't think he was going to pull through," he admitted quietly, almost as though he was ashamed to say it. "Can we see him?"

"The doctor said only one visitor at a time would be best," Matt explained. "Beth's with him now."

"Matthew," Shannon said matter-of-factly with a slight shake of his head. "When it comes to something like this that involves our family, we've listened to authority _how_ many times?"

A knowing grin spread across Matt's face. His friend had a point. "Okay, but I don't know which room Jeff's in," he replied. "What do you have in mind to get past the receptionist so we can see the list?" The woman behind the desk was young with blonde hair tied back behind her head. The way she nervously fidgeted with things near her and played with her ponytail gave him the impression that she was nervous and new. It shouldn't be too hard to slip by her if they came up with a plan.

Shannon's eyes shone sneakily as he returned the grin. "Don't worry," he told him quietly. "I've got this."

Suddenly, he cried out loudly with what sounded like pain, collapsing to the floor as he grabbed at his stomach. Everyone in the waiting area turned to see what was happening while Matt looked down at him in shock. He had to admit his young friend was brilliant.

Then, Matt was pushed out of the way by the young receptionist as she knelt beside the groaning Shannon. "Oh, my God… Sir, are you all right?"

"No…" Shannon muttered, keeping up the act that something was seriously wrong with him. "My stomach, it hurts…"

While this was going on, the older Hardy quickly snuck behind the receptionist's desk. He looked through the list of admitted patients until he came to the name "Hardy." Finding Jeff's room, he looked up at Shannon and tried to get his attention.

"It hurts…" Shannon then looked past the woman's terrified face when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and he watched as Matt gave him a series of three numbers. That must have been the room where Jeff was. 1-1-3. Room 113. That was easy enough to remember.

"Hold on, Sir," the receptionist told him as she began to turn to look back at her desk and get to her feet. "I'm going to go call for a doctor."

Panic flashed across Matt's face since he was about to be discovered behind the desk, and Shannon immediately grabbed at the woman's arms, causing her to gasp and look back down at him. "No, no, no! Please, don't leave!" he begged with fake agony. "I'm… I'm scared. I don't want to be left alone…"

"Sir, you need to calm down…" But, it was obvious by her tone that she was panicking too.

Matt sighed with relief at his friend's quick thinking as he quietly snuck away from the desk and through the door to where all the rooms were. Though his friend was definitely over-acting, he still seemed to be fooling the receptionist though the rest of the waiting room now knew that he was faking. And, they seemed to find the whole charade amusing.

Seeing that Matt had made it, Shannon decided that it was time to end his act since he wanted to see Jeff too. So, he groaned loudly and overdramatically one more time before he closed his eyes and went limp in the receptionist's arms.

"Oh, God…" The woman gently set Shannon on the ground before getting to her feet with fear, hurrying through the door and calling anxiously for a doctor. After a cautious moment, Shannon slowly cracked one eye open. "Is she gone?" When he got a couple of quiet "yeses," he quickly got his feet, bowed to his small audience, and hurried through the door to find Matt before the panicked receptionist came back with a soon-to-be confused doctor.

He found the older Hardy standing in front of the open door of Jeff's room, and Shannon sighed as he stopped next to him. "That poor woman broke the most important rule," he stated with a grin as he pointed at himself. "_Never_ leave a dying patient as good looking as this unattended."

But Matt didn't even seem to hear him. Shannon followed his gaze, and a slight smile appeared on his face when he saw what he was looking at. Jeff was lying in the bed, Beth wrapped in his arms and blankets with her head resting on his chest. They were both asleep, seeming so peaceful just by being in each other's presence.

"That's one way to help raise his body temperature," Shannon muttered, remembering what Matt had told him on the phone about Jeff's condition.

Matt nodded in agreement. "Yeah…" Seeing them together made an overwhelming sense of relief flow through him. He remembered how Beth had been so depressed for the couple of days where they believed Jeff to be dead, how scared she had been when she thought that she would have to have her child on her own.

But that was over. That depression was lifted, that fear calmed. Jeff was there now, and he was going to make sure that didn't change.

"One visitor means one visitor, Mr. Hardy."

Both Matt and Shannon turned around, seeing that the young doctor with blond hair that had taken care of Jeff was standing behind them with a slight smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Sir," Matt told him quietly. "But he's our brother, and we had to see him. We thought he was dead."

"I understand," the doctor replied with a slight nod. He looked past them, his smile broadening when he saw Jeff and Beth sleeping in each other's arms. Then, he looked back at Shannon. "We also have an upset Katie in the waiting area."

Shannon smiled sheepishly. "Oh, the receptionist? I'm really sorry about that," he told him. "See, I run this tattoo place in Southern Pines not too far from here called Gas Chamber Ink. Tell her that Shannon Moore said she can come by anytime and get anything in the store half off or more. I'll give her a hug too, if she would like."

"All right, I'll tell her."

Matt sighed. "When will I be able to take Jeff home?" he wondered, the conversation turning serious again. "I mean, tomorrow's Christmas, and he should really spend it at home with his family."

The doctor sighed. "Well, when he wakes up, we'll check his body temperature again," he explained. "If it's high enough, he may leave."

"Oh, don't worry, doc," Shannon said with a broad grin when he looked back at how close the couple was to each other. "I think it'll be high enough."

* * *

Brittany looked out the window from where she lay on her bed as the snow fell gently from the sky, her expression blank. Normally, Christmas Eve was her favorite night of the year because it was often thought of to be the night that miracles happened.

But there was nothing magical about that Christmas Eve. She still couldn't get what Beth had told her about Jeff in Southern Pines out of her mind.

"_Jeff's dead, Brittany, but you already knew that. _You're_ the ones who killed him!"_

A single tear fell from Brittany's eye. Beth had lied to her, she had to. Jeff couldn't be dead… could he? And where had she gotten that idea that she would even _attempt_ to take Jeff's life? She loved him, she wouldn't want to hurt him.

But… if there was a chance that Beth _was_ telling the truth and Jeff really _was_ dead…

No. She couldn't bring herself to believe that. Jeff was alive, he had to be. It had to be some sort of trick just to throw her off. Beth would pay for what she said, she would make sure of it.

Then, the door to her room opened, and Brittany watched as Luke entered. "Why don't you come downstairs now, Britt?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him as he looked down at her. "I made some chocolate chip cookies for us to have."

Brittany slowly shook her head. "No, thanks," she answered quietly. "I don't want any."

Luke sighed. "Britt, I won't have you moping around in your room any longer," he told her sternly. "I am not leaving this room until you get off the bed and come downstairs."

"But, Luke-!"

"No, Britt. Enough is enough," Luke said. "I know you're upset about what Beth said, but there's no reason to be."

Brittany looked up at him suspiciously. "What are you talking about?" she wondered. Why was there no reason to be upset when she had heard that the one person she actually loved had died?

Luke sighed again. He felt that what Brittany was doing was wrong, he really did. She was so obsessed with this man, Jeff Hardy, that she didn't care what she had to do to get to him. She didn't even truly love him, like the love that Jeff shared with Beth. But Brittany didn't care about that. She was even willing to break up an engaged couple just to have him. She didn't know about that, granted, but he did, and that was enough.

But on the other hand, he cared about Brittany. He almost considered her to be a daughter to him since he had never had one of his own and he had known her for her whole life, was there for her when her real father wasn't, and he hated to see her like this.

So, it was with a reluctant heart that he said what he really hadn't wanted to say.

"Jeff's not dead, Britt."

"What?" Brittany immediately sat up, looking at him intently. "How do you know that?"

"I just came back from visiting my sister at the hospital," Luke explained, sitting down on the bed next to her. "Jeff was being signed out."

Brittany's entire demeanor changed in that one, brief moment. No longer dark and hopeless, it was now bright and cheerful. "Jeff's alive?" she whispered. Her smile broadened when Luke nodded in confirmation. "Well, I saw that those cookies sound good now. Come on. Let's go downstairs and have some while we talk about what to do from here."

Luke watched warily as Brittany got to her feet and left the room in much better spirits than when he had entered. There was something that unnerved him about her statement and the way she said it. It made him worry about what she was planning on doing, made him concerned for those close to Jeff. He especially feared for Beth since Brittany considered her to be a threat and her main obstacle to get to Jeff. He couldn't see how this could end well.

"Oh, God," he muttered as he put his head into his hands. "What have I done?"

* * *

Beth smiled, humming to herself as she finished making the hazelnut hot chocolate for her and Jeff. It felt so good to have him home again since his body temperature wasn't so dangerously low anymore that she couldn't put into words how relieved she felt. And the fact that they could spend the rest of Christmas together after staying in the hospital for a few hours was even better. They just had strict orders to make sure Jeff stayed warm and to report any downward turns his health took. That shouldn't be too hard.

After pouring the hot beverage into two mugs, she went to the living room and turned on the fireplace to provide more heat, wondering when Matt would be home. The older Hardy had left about a half hour before, saying that he had to run to Shannon's house for something. But, he had been there for an awfully long time just for a quick errand.

Then, Beth smiled when she heard footsteps approaching, and she watched as Jeff entered the living room, still towel-drying his hair after the hot shower he had just taken. "Feel good, Jeffro?" Beth asked as she walked over to him, seeing the look of content on his face.

"Yeah," Jeff answered with a smile, which in turn made Beth smile. "For once, I have to say that a doctor's order was a good idea."

Beth laughed a little as he kissed him quickly. "That's good," she said. "Here, put this on over your t-shirt and have a seat on the couch while I get the hot chocolate I just made for us."

Jeff looked at the hooded sweater Beth was holding out for him, and he sighed as he took it and pulled it on over his head. "I'm not _that_ cold anymore, Beth," he muttered.

"Yeah, well, doctor's orders," Beth replied, kissing his cheek while he rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance. "Remember, they're a good thing. Now, have a seat, and I'll get the hot chocolate."

While she went into the kitchen, Jeff plugged in the Christmas tree in the corner and turned off the overhead lights so that the room was lit only by the multicolored lights from the tree and the fireplace. Then, he sat on the couch with a sigh, the past couple of days still weighing heavily on his mind. He couldn't believe that he was actually sitting in his brother's house with Beth when he had spent so much time just fighting to stay alive. The days he was gone… it was all just one big blur to him…

The one thing that dominantly stood out were his thoughts of Beth while he had been in their new house as he barely hung on to his consciousness, the thoughts of what their future would be. It was those thoughts that had brought him back to her.

"Here, hon."

Jeff slowly looked up at the sound of the gentle voice he loved more than any other, and he gave a small smile to Beth as he took the mug she was offering him. "Thank you," he muttered, blowing on it a little before taking a short, cautious sip.

Beth sighed as she sat down next to him, leaning into his side as he wrapped his arm around her. "Is everything okay?" she asked. "You seem… distant."

"Yeah, everything's fine," Jeff answered, taking another sip of hot chocolate before setting his cup on the small table next to him. "I'm just thinking about everything that's happened recently. I mean, I don't know how I'm even here. The doctor was saying that I shouldn't have been able to survive something like that…"

He was stopped from continuing by a finger landing gently on his lips, and he turned to look at Beth. "Don't question it," she told him quietly, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes as she lowered her hand. "You're here now, and that's all that matters."

Jeff gently placed his hand on her cheek, gazing lovingly into her eyes. His tender action got his message across for him, and he slowly leaned forward and met Beth's lips in a kiss.

"Please don't leave me again," she whispered as she rested her forehead against his.

"I won't Beth," Jeff replied just as quietly as he kissed her again. "Wherever you go, I'll be there."

Beth smiled slightly as she kissed him again with a bit more passion, but before they could continue, they were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. Jeff slowly backed away from her, and they both watched as Matt entered the living room carrying a wooden basket with a blanket covering the top.

"Okay, though it's early, Jeff and I thought we should start celebrating Christmas now since we're all not going to get much sleep anyway," the older Hardy announced, turning the kitchen light on so they could see better as he set the basket gently on the floor. "Beth, this is his gift to you."

"Really?" Beth looked over at Jeff, who nodded in agreement, and she smiled as she took his hand in hers. "Come on, let's go." They got up from the couch and walked around it as they approached Matt, and she knelt on the floor in front of the basket. Then, she slowly lifted the heavy blanket, and her face first showed surprise before lighting up with joy. "Oh, my God!"

"Shannon and Julie agreed to watch her for us until now," Jeff told her, smiling himself at seeing how happy she was. "I knew you'd love her."

"Jeff, she's gorgeous!" Beth was absolutely beaming as she gently lifted the half-asleep, small, daschund mix into her arms and held her close, kissing her head and scratching her behind her ears a little. "You're right, I do love her!"

"I have ever since I saw her at the animal shelter a couple months ago, and I thought she would be perfect for us." Jeff knelt next to her, petting the dog as she began to wake up a little more, and he laughed quietly when she licked his cheek in recognition before licking Beth. She was such a friendly dog, which was one of the reasons he had chosen her.

Matt smiled as he watched them with the new addition to their family for another moment before turning to look out the window at the snow that was now gently falling. He sighed with relief when a great weight seemed to lift off of him. This was one Christmas he knew they would never forget.

**Author's Note**: Wasn't that sweet? But again, it's more of a transition chapter. The next one is where things will really start to pick up again. I'm also curious to know what your opinions of Luke are. Just wondering where you guys think his character's going to go. All right, thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	14. It's Not Over

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Thanks to **the hardy boyz lover**, **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **xOallisonqtOx**, **Graelam**, and **dumwolf16** for your awesome reviews! Thanks for all the support! Virtual hugs for all you guys! Lol. So, um, a note about this chapter. This is one of my infamous "oh, crap" chapters. I haven't really done it for this series yet, but what they basically are is that they are pre-climax (the climaxes I do are in their own category, lol), and things just keep getting worse. So, it should be fun! Lol. And yes, this chapter is composed of a few short sections that kind of jump around on purpose. It adds to the fast pace needed for an "oh, crap" chapter. Haha. So, with that out of the way, enjoy!

Chapter 14- It's Not Over

**Artist**: _Daughtry_

Jeff sighed as he stepped pushed open the front door and stepped out into the snow, watching as his breath formed in a cloud before him and rose up toward the rising sun. The feeling of the coldness pressing in around him bothered him slightly since it was that same cold that had almost taken his life, but just being able to do something as simple as watching the sunrise was a miracle to him since by all reasoning, he shouldn't have been there at all.

Suddenly, something heavy hit him in the back of the head, and Jeff cried out with surprise as he collapsed to the snow. He warily looked up, seeing that a tall man was standing over him, a gun in his hand. Though he couldn't see all of his face, the small part he could see was burnt and scarred. With a jolt of panic, Jeff realized that this was the man who had attacked him before he had fallen through the ice.

And now, he had found Matt's house.

The man then turned to look in the window next to him, and Jeff pushed himself up a bit to see what he was looking at. His heart raced with fear when he saw that Beth was in the living room, cheerfully folding up an afghan over the couch. No… Not her… Not Beth…

Jeff immediately reached forward and grabbed the man's leg as he took a couple steps forward with his gun raised, preparing to break the window. He angrily looked back down at him, forcefully kicking the younger Hardy in the jaw to get him to let go. Then, he aimed his gun at his forehead, and Jeff closed his eyes tightly as the weapon was fired.

* * *

When Jeff quickly opened his eyes again, the sound of the gunshot still echoing loudly in his mind, he saw with a panic that he was surrounded by the dark, frigid water of the lake. Realizing that he had to get to the surface since he didn't have much air left, he pushed himself upward as quickly as he could toward the light filtering down from above him.

But, he found with dread that a layer of ice had already reformed at the surface. Trying to remain as calm as he could, Jeff began to pound frantically on the ice, hoping to break through. Unfortunately, he had no success.

Then, Jeff's expression saddened when he saw Beth standing at the edge of the lake, silently crying as she looked out at the frozen water with longing. His actions became more desperate as he began to pound on the ice even more, hoping that she would see him. But it was no use. The more he tried to get her attention, the farther away from him she looked.

Jeff then watched with fear as Luke, the man he had seen back at the restaurant in Southern Pines, approached her and put his arm in a comforting way around her shoulders. Beth looked up at him for a long moment before she allowed him to lead her away from the lake and out of sight.

The younger Hardy pounded on the ice only a couple more times before his strength left him completely. His lungs were burning with the need for oxygen. He wouldn't be able to hold his breath much longer.

_Beth…_

The most important person in his life's name was the last thought on his mind as he released the breath he could no longer hold, the darkness that had been pulling him down finally claiming him.

* * *

"Jeff, what's wrong? Wake up, hon."

He opened his eyes with a gasp, his gaze frantically moving around him. When he realized that he was in the guest room in Matt's house, safe in bed with the woman he loved, Jeff sighed with relief as he closed his eyes and ran his hand over his sweat-drenched face. Then, he felt gentle lips run lightly over his, and he opened his eyes again to see that Beth was leaning over him with concern.

"Are you okay, Jeff?" she asked quietly, tenderly brushing some strands of hair out of his pale face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jeff answered just as quietly, lightly taking his fingers and kissing them quickly before he sat up. "Just had a nightmare, that's all."

Beth slowly sat up on the bed beside him, resting her chin on his tense shoulder and placing her hands on his forearms. "What about?"

Jeff sighed as he leaned back against her, feeling comforted by her around him. "Pretty much just about what happened," he muttered. "The man with the gun, the lake…" He figured that was all he really had to say for Beth to understand. He figured he wouldn't go into how the man had also tried to go after her, or about the part with Luke.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore, Jeff," Beth whispered, kissing the back of his neck and feeling his body relax a bit. "You're safe now…"

"I know." Jeff then turned and gently kissed her cheek. Beth smiled, tilting his face a bit more so that their lips met.

"Do you think you'll be able to sleep anymore?" Beth wondered after they broke the kiss after a moment.

Jeff gave her a slight smile. "No, probably not," he told her. "Not after that dream."

Beth nodded as she yawned. "Okay, hon. I'll stay up with you, then."

"No, Beth, you should probably get some more sleep," Jeff said with concern, taking her hand.

"Nah, that's okay," Beth replied, using her free hand to rub her obviously tired eyes. "I'll be fine. It's not like I'm not used to lack of sleep."

Jeff sighed as he gently kissed her forehead. "You need some sleep, Beth," he muttered. "After all, you're pregnant. What you need to do is rest."

Beth stared intently at Jeff for a long moment, sighing herself when he raised a knowing eyebrow. "Fine," she finally agreed. "But you really need to sleep too, especially after everything you've been through."

"Don't worry, Beth. I'm not going anywhere." Jeff gently kissed her lips again before he lay back down, Beth doing the same beside him as she rested her head on his chest and intertwined her legs with his. Soon, she was asleep. She must have been exhausted.

Jeff wrapped one arm around her securely as he took a deep breath, looking out the window at the gently falling snow as a single tear fell from his eye. He knew that the trauma he had endured was over, but the memories would continue to haunt him.

* * *

"So, you bought Beth a gun for protection?" Jeff asked once Matt finished telling the story of what had transpired while he had been gone.

"Yeah, I thought that would be the best idea," Matt answered, taking a sip of coffee. Though it was approaching noon, both men had gotten out of bed only a few minutes earlier since they had gone to sleep so late. "I don't think she's going to have to use it now."

"That's what she told me when I asked her about it," Jeff muttered, taking a sip of his coffee too. "She said she wasn't going to ever use it."

"It was a good idea, though, no matter how opposed to it she was," Matt said.

"Yeah, that it was," Jeff agreed. "Thank you for taking care of her, Matt. She really needed you when I couldn't be there for her…"

Matt smiled. "Of course, Jeff," he told him. "She's my little sister, you know." Then, he sighed. "It's just so good to have you back, Man."

Jeff nodded slightly as he returned the smile. "It's good to be back," he replied. "And out of the hospital, too. That's a bonus."

"Without sneaking out on your own," Matt muttered. He hated bringing up the incident in Los Angeles, but his protective older brother mode was really starting to kick in now that Jeff was back.

The younger Hardy sighed. "How long are you going to hold that over my head, Man?" he demanded with irritation.

"I'm sorry, Jeff. I'm just concerned about you, okay?" Matt defended himself. "We just nearly lost you. We thought you were dead…"

"Yeah, well, according to all of you, I should be dead!" Jeff snapped heatedly. He didn't know why he was continuing to lose his temper with his brother, but he wished he wouldn't have kept going. True, he had been through a traumatic past couple of days where he had feared he wouldn't survive, but that wasn't Matt's fault. He didn't deserve it.

Matt's face darkened with sorrow, realizing why Jeff's temper was so short. His brother had been acting differently ever since he had been released from the hospital, a bit more inward, but that was to be expected. It would take time to return back to his normal, upbeat self. "When a miracle happens, you don't question why it happens," he said quietly. "You just take it and be glad it happened."

Jeff looked at Matt for a long moment before he sighed, put his head into his hands. "I'm sorry for snapping, Man," he muttered, not meeting his gaze. "It's just… hard…. I can't even close my eyes without seeing it…"

"I know…" Matt got to his feet before crouching beside his younger brother and wrapping his arms around him. He was surprised when Jeff leaned into his embrace when he usually wouldn't. "I'm here for you, Jeff. So is Beth. We're both here. Everything's okay now. We're both just so overjoyed that you're still alive and here with us."

After spending another long moment in the older Hardy's arms, feeling comforted by them around him, Jeff took a deep, steadying breath and straightened up out of them, giving him a small smile. "Thanks, Matt," he whispered.

"Of course, Man." Matt returned the smile, playfully smacking his brother upside the head as he got back to his feet. "Welcome back."

Jeff laughed a little, watching as Matt picked up his coffee mug and finished it before he crossed the kitchen to the coffee maker to get more. The younger Hardy picked up his coffee and took a sip, looking out at the snow outside. But then, he gasped, coughing a little as the warm beverage went down his throat the wrong way, and the mug slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor, shattering on impact.

Matt immediately turned around with concern, seeing that his brother was staring at the window with fear, his face pale as he gripped the table so hard his knuckles were turning white. "Jeff, are you okay?" he asked anxiously, stepping around the coffee mess on the floor and placing his hands on his shoulders firmly. "What's wrong?"

"There was someone… at the window…" Jeff answered quietly, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. Then, he sighed. "I don't know, I was probably just imagining it… I'm sorry about the mug, Man…"

The older Hardy sighed. "It's okay, Jeff," he told him in an assuring way. "It's all right. I don't care about the coffee or the mug, I just care that you're okay."

"I'm fine…" Jeff muttered listlessly, his green eyes still resting intently on the window while Matt grabbed a wet rag to start cleaning up the mess he had made before Lucas could get at it. "Just fine."

* * *

Shannon sighed as he walked through the crowded airport, sipping on his soda. He hated airports. Far too many people. But, he had promised Julie that he would pick her up, and that as exactly what he was going to do. After all, they hadn't ended their conversation on very good terms before she had left to visit her family in Chicago, and he wanted to make it up to her.

After signing a few autographs, he finally made it to where passengers got off the plane. By the looks of it, his wife's flight had already landed since people were already coming up the ramp. Shannon scanned the crowd, a broad smile appearing on his face when he saw the woman he was there for.

"Hey, Jules."

"Shan, good to see you," Julie said, setting her bags down as she hugged him tightly. It seemed like she had forgiven him too. "I've missed you. The family did too, but they completely understood why you couldn't make it."

Shannon quickly but passionately kissed Julie once she released him. He had missed her terribly. "That's one reason why I hate no cell phone service where you were," he replied. "Jeff's alive, Julie."

Julie looked back at her husband in shock. She remembered what he had told her about that day when their friend had been attacked, and she saw no way he could have possibly survived. "_Alive_?" she repeated. "But how-!"

"I don't know, but I don't care. All that matters is that he's alive." Shannon laughed a little, gently brushing some hair out of her face as he rested his forehead against hers. "I missed you too, Jules. I love you."

"I love you too, Shan," Julie muttered with a smile, kissing him again quickly. "Let's just go home. It's been a long couple days."

"Tell me about it." Shannon picked up one of her bags while Julie grabbed the other, and he took her hand as they began to walk through the crowd. But then, Julie paused. "You know how much I hate airplane bathrooms," she said. "Do you mind if I stop real quick and use this one?"

"No, not at all," Shannon told her with a small smile. "I'll be right here."

"Thanks, Shan. Be right back." Julie smiled, kissing his cheek quickly as she released his hand and disappeared into the crowd.

Shannon watched her leave with a sigh, taking another sip of his soda. He would have much preferred to get out of the airport right away and get back home since he had missed Julie so much and just wanted to spend time with her, but he couldn't deny her a bathroom stop. That would just be cruel.

Suddenly, a hand landed heavily on his shoulder, and Shannon gasped as he quickly turned around to see who it was. His eyes widened with fear when he saw it was Luke.

* * *

Matt sighed as he stretched out on the couch, petting Lucas when his non-human baby jumped up on his stomach and curled up there. Jeff and Beth had taken Lizzie, their new dog, out to the nearly completed new house to check it out almost twenty minutes ago. He was glad they had. He had needed this time to just relax due to the draining past couple of days.

But as his eyes began to close, his doorbell began to ring over and over again in rapid succession. It was very annoying, reminding him of how a child would ring a doorbell. Sighing heavily when the noise wouldn't stop, Matt got to his feet since Lucas had already rushed to the front entrance and was barking like crazy and crossed the living room. "All right, all right. I'm coming," he muttered as he opened the door to see what was so important. He was surprised to see Shannon looking back at him. "What-!"

"Where is Jeff?" Shannon demanded anxiously, interrupting him.

"Shan," Matt tried to calm him down as he shook his head, wondering what his younger friend was doing at his front door asking for his brother in such a state. That was the last thing the younger Hardy needed. "You just need to-!"

"Matt, _where_ is Jeff?" Shannon definitely looked freaked. "It's an emergency."

"He… he and Beth took Lizzie to check out the new house," Matt told him. "Shan, what's going on?"

"_Shit_!" Shannon hissed, pushing past the older Hardy and opening the closet, beginning to look for his friend's coat. When he found it, he quickly pulled it out and shoved it into Matt's hands. "Come on, we need to go!"

"Shan, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell this is about!" Matt snapped, not meaning to lose his patience with his younger friend but was frustrated at not having a clue as to what was happening.

Shannon turned to look at Matt, a look of anxiousness woven clearly into his expression. "Matt, Jeff's in trouble," he muttered. "It's a trap."

**Author's Note**: Oh, crap, right? Haha. But don't you hate those double nightmares? They completely suck. Anyway, what kind of trap is Shannon talking about? Well, you'll find out next time! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	15. Let Me Go

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! I'm glad you guys liked the first of my "oh, crap" chapters for this story! Lol. Yeah, this is another one. Haha. But, the next chapter is the climax, so counting this one, there's only three left! I can't believe that, honestly. But anyway, thank you to **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **the hardy boyz lover**, and **xOallisonqtOx **for your awesome reviews! I hope you guys like this chapter too. Enjoy!

Chapter 15- Let Me Go

**Artist**: _3 Doors Down_

Beth smiled as she watched Lizzie bounce through the snow, stopping and sniffing at everything as she explored the new area. "She really is adorable, Jeffro," she muttered, weaving her fingers through his as they continued to walk down the path.

"Isn't she?" Jeff leaned over and kissed Beth's cheek. "I thought she would make a great addition to our family."

"That she does." Beth laughed a little when Lizzie stumbled a bit in the snow, but just continued going on anyway. After the past couple of days, she needed time like this just to spend with Jeff. It was the best feeling in the world to have him by her side again…

Their new house then came into sight as they rounded the corner, and the small dog hurried forward to check it out. Beth smiled broadly as Jeff wound his arms around her waist and spun her around to face him, pulling her close. "Soon, the three of us will be able to move into this house," he whispered, his lips lingering tauntingly a couple of inches in front of hers.

"And I can't wait," Beth murmured, not able to resist his allure as she closed the gap between them and met his lips in a tender kiss. She treasured their softness, the feeling of completeness she felt when she was this close to him…

Suddenly, Lizzie started anxiously barking at the house, and Beth and Jeff slowly pulled apart to see what the commotion was. Taking her hand, the younger Hardy led the way over to the small dog, kneeling down behind her. "It's okay," he told her, noticing that she was shaking. "Nothing's going to hurt you."

But then, he heard Beth gasp with surprise, and he quickly looked up, seeing with fear that Brittany Howe was standing in front of them, a triumphant grin on her face.

"Hello, Jeff."

"Bitch…" Beth began to mutter in a threatening way. She was getting _really_ tired of this girl showing up and trying to take her fiancé from her. It wasn't going to work.

Jeff slowly got to his feet, resting his hand on Beth's shoulder to keep her from continuing before turning his attention to Brittany. "Look, I've told you before," he muttered, trying to be as calm as possible. "Stay the fuck _away _from me!"

But Brittany just smiled sweetly as his temper rose, not seeming to mind that all of his anger was directed at her. "You won't keep me away for long," she told him.

The younger Hardy sighed with irritation, but before he could continue, Beth placed her hand on his shoulder in almost a restraining way. "Come on, hon," she muttered. "Let's just call the police. We can get her for trespassing and harassment, or something…"

But Beth had made the mistake of placing her left hand on Jeff's shoulder. There was a glint of silver on her finger, and Brittany's face drained of color. "What's _that_?!" she demanded, quickly turning angry.

"What are you talking about?" Jeff wondered, putting an arm in front of Beth. What had caused her to start getting angry with them?

"That… that _ring_!" Brittany snapped hysterically, her confident demeanor suddenly gone. Now, she seemed to be going crazy…

Jeff inwardly sighed. It was time for all of this to end. "I'm going to marry Beth, Brittany," he told her, making sure that he was close to Beth. He didn't want her getting close to this girl.

"How could you?!" Brittany shrieked, causing Jeff and Beth to jump.

"Because… I love Beth," Jeff replied calmly, though something in the back of his mind was telling him to run. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her. But, you knew that I loved her, Brittany… not you."

Brittany stared at Jeff for a long moment, feeling tears prick her eyes. But then, that sadness she felt was suddenly replaced with anger. "I'm going to kill that bitch…" she said darkly.

Then, they watched with horror as Brittany reached into her bag and pulled out a gun, made sure it was loaded, and aimed it at Beth.

Jeff immediately stepped in front of Beth protectively, making sure that he was the one in the line of fire. He wasn't going to let the woman he loved most and his unborn child die… "Brittany, calm down," he told her, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Just put the gun down…"

"No!" Brittany spat, her hands shaking slightly. "She stole you from me… She's going to pay…"

Brittany had snapped, that much was certain. Jeff knew that he was treading on treacherous ground now. He had to keep her from firing that gun… "Brittany, how could Beth have stolen me from you if I was never yours?" he wondered innocently, feeling Beth grab his arm nervously.

The younger woman's face darkened dangerously for a moment, but then, she smiled sweetly, an unreadable glint appearing in her eyes. "Just what would you do to protect the one thing you treasure most in your life?" she asked, her gaze moving to Beth. "How far would you go?"

Jeff sighed. "I would give my last breath," he answered, his tone not wavering. "I would go to the ends of the earth if I had to."

Brittany grinned, the gun in her hands still aimed directly at the couple. "Would you?"

"Yes." Jeff looked back at her with determination, wondering where she was going with this.

"Why don't we test that out now, then?" Brittany aimed the gun at Beth, just over Jeff's shoulder, and fired.

Beth tightly closed her eyes as she heard Lizzie's fearful barking, so tightly that it hurt as Jeff moved in front of her protectively to take the bullet. But fortunately, neither one of them were hit. She cautiously opened her eyes, releasing the breath that she had been holding when she saw that though his face was pale, Jeff was also unharmed. That girl had completely lost her mind. It seemed that the shot had been meant only to scare them, not hurt hem. She must have been anticipating that Jeff really would step in front of the gun to save her…

"I won't miss next time," Brittany muttered threateningly, her eyes dangerous again. "You either come with me, Jeff… or I kill her."

Jeff knew that he now had two options- either do what Brittany wanted, or risk Beth's life. If she tried firing at Beth again, he knew he would do anything he had to do to protect her. But what if the shot wasn't fatal? If he were hurt, what would stop Brittany from killing Beth then? He couldn't take that chance…

"Okay, Brittany," he muttered. "I'll come with you. Just… just put the gun down and leave Beth out of this."

"Jeff, no!" Beth said anxiously, gripping his arm tightly again. "Please, don't do this… I can't lose you… Not now…"

"It's okay." Jeff turned to face Beth, his mouth close to her ear so only she would hear. "I'll be fine. Just take Lizzie and go back to the house. Get Matt. Hopefully, you'll be able to track me."

Beth felt tears form in her eyes as she quickly kissed Jeff. What if they couldn't track him? She couldn't stand the thought of losing him again, not when she just got him back… This was much too risky. But, it seemed as if it was their only option at the moment.

Suddenly, Jeff cried out in surprise and pain when something heavy hit him in the back of the head, and he dropped to his knees from the impact. Beth gasped when she saw that Brittany was now standing in front of her.

"If you try to stop me, I'll shoot him," the younger woman threatened, and there was something in her eyes that told her she meant those words. Then, she turned her attention to Jeff, who was still kneeling on the ground at her feet. "And if you try anything funny, I'll shoot her."

"I won't, Brittany," Jeff assured her, trying to outwardly remain calm even though his heart was racing anxiously.

"Good." Keeping her gun trained on Jeff since she still didn't trust Beth, who was watching them with silent tears falling from her eyes, Brittany reached into her bag and pulled out some rope. She roughly tied the younger Hardy's hands behind his back before she proceeded to take out a blindfold and wrapped it securely around his eyes so he couldn't see. Then, she pulled him to his feet, immediately pressing the barrel of the gun to Jeff's temple so Beth wouldn't even think of trying anything.

"This is the last time you'll see him, Beth," Brittany told her, her eyes shining with an even blend of triumph and malice. "Is there anything you want to say to him?"

A quiet sob escaped from Beth as she looked at Jeff, bound and blind… helpless. It was a sight that tore her apart. "I love you," she said, trembling as more sobs racked her body. She couldn't believe that Brittany was actually going to take him from her…

Hearing the sorrow clearly in her voice, Jeff sighed as his own heart broke in two. "I love you too, Beth," he told her. "Everything will be all right, I promise. I promise you, Beth."

"Very sweet," Brittany said with venom, beginning to pull Jeff along with her as she made sure to keep the gun level with his head as she went. "Come on."

Beth wanted to follow them, to keep her from taking Jeff, but she was afraid what would happen if she tried. The fear that Brittany truly would shoot him kept her frozen in place, crying as she was only able to watch as she led Jeff to the back of the house, where she heard a couple of doors open and close. Then, she heard the sound of a car starting, and she watched helplessly as a black car appeared from behind the house and drove down the road that connected the two Hardy properties, rounding the corner and disappearing from sight.

Jeff was gone.

A cry of frustration escaped from Beth as she sunk to her knees, sobs shaking her. God, this couldn't be happening. She had just gotten Jeff back. He couldn't have been taken from her again. Brittany couldn't win…

Whining softly, Lizzie slowly walked over to Beth and climbed into her lap, trying to lick the tears from her cheeks. Beth laughed a little, hugging the dog close. The small animal's presence was comforting to her. "Thanks, Lizzie," she whispered. "We'll get your daddy back. We have to."

"Britt!"

At the anxious sound of her nickname, Beth slowly looked up and watched as Matt and Shannon approached her. "Are you okay, Britt?" the older Hardy asked anxiously as he knelt in front of her, placing his hands on her arms.

Beth slowly shook her head. "She took him…"

"Who?" Matt wondered, his heart dropping.

"Brittany," Beth muttered, her eyes shining with tears again. "She took Jeff…"

"_Fuck_!" Shannon exclaimed heatedly as he forcefully kicked the snow at his feet. "We were too late… Shit… This is my fault. I didn't get here fast enough…"

Beth looked up at him, almost accusingly. "You _knew_ about this, Shan?" she demanded.

Shannon sighed heavily as he met her gaze. But before he could say anything, they heard a twig snapping near them, and they watched with fear as a man with a hood covering his face stepped out of the trees. There was a tense moment that seemed to drag by, and then, he raised a gun and aimed it at them.

"Why is everything going wrong today?" Shannon whined in exasperation, bending down and grabbing Beth's hand. He pulled her to her feet and began to pull her after him as they ran down the path surrounded by snow-covered trees, Matt close behind them as a gunshot was heard.

They didn't stop running until they reached the house. Shannon threw open the door and pushed Beth and Lizzie inside first before going in himself, Matt closing the door and locking it behind him once he was in. The three of them stood in the living room, their breathing heavy. That had been a close call…

"That was Eric Howe," Matt muttered between his gasps, disbelief in his own tone as he looked up at Beth and Shannon intently.

"What?! That's not possible!" Shannon replied. "That guy is fucking _dead_, Man!"

"I know, but I got a good look at his eyes," Matt told him. "I would know those eyes anywhere. They were Eric's."

Beth sighed as she set Lizzie down on the ground. "Explain how he survived then," she said, her temper rising a bit.

Matt shook his head. "I can't explain it," he replied. "But all I know is that was Eric Howe."

"Great, Matt," Beth snapped with a hollow laugh as more tears filled her eyes. "Jeff just got fucking kidnapped, and you're off chasing shadows!"

The older Hardy looked at her sadly. "Beth, that wasn't your fault…"

"Oh, wasn't it?" Beth asked shrilly, some tears escaping from her. "I didn't _do _anything, Matt, that's the problem. I should have… But she had a gun, and… and she threatened to shoot him…"

Matt sighed as she began sobbing, and he slowly approached her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "It's okay, Britt," he muttered, his eyes landing on the silver Hardy Boyz pendant that was still resting on the mantle. In the craziness of Jeff's return, he hadn't remembered to give it back to his brother yet. "We'll get him back, I promise."

Shannon watched them for a moment, turning to look over his shoulder when the doorbell rang. He walked over, cautiously unlocking and opening it since he figured a crazy killer wouldn't bother to ring the doorbell, and he visibly relaxed when he saw who was on the other side. "Come on in."

Slowly releasing Beth, Matt joined Shannon by the front entrance, and his face darkened dangerously when he saw the man. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded. "Get the hell out of my house!"

"No, Matt, it's okay," Shannon protested, closing the door after the man entered. "He's the one who warned me about Brittany's plan."

Matt looked at the man suspiciously. "Why would you want to help _us_?" he wondered.

"I know that I'm not welcome, and I understand that," Luke muttered, looking from Matt to Shannon to Beth standing behind them. "But Brittany's going too far now. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything more than to warn your friend here. I had hoped he would reach you in time, but I guess I was too late…"

"Damn right, you were!" Beth snapped, pushing past Matt to stand directly in front of him. "Jeff's gone, Luke, and God only knows what's going to happen to him now!"

Luke's face darkened with sympathy as he looked back at her. "I really am sorry," he told her. "But, I believe that I can help you now, if you would like. We're not too late yet."

"How could you help?" Matt asked, willing to do what he had to do to get his little brother back.

"I know where she's taking him," Luke answered. "I could lead you there."

"And how do we know if we an trust you?" Beth added, her nerves still on high alert.

Luke sighed as he moved his gaze to hers. "As I see it, you don't really have much choice if you want to get Jeff back," he replied.

"He's got a point," Shannon said.

Matt looked at Luke thoughtfully for a long moment, having an internal debate with himself. Luke was with Brittany last time he saw him, and this easily could have been a set-up. But on the other hand, he also knew where Jeff was being brought, and he was the only one who could bring them there…

"All right," he finally muttered with a sigh. "Bring us to my brother."

* * *

Jeff winced when he was shoved down onto what felt like a bed. Though the landing had been soft, his upper body felt a jolt of pain since his hands were tied so awkwardly behind him. And being blindfolded made him feel even more uneasy since he had no idea of his surroundings.

"I'm sorry about he rope and blindfold, but I couldn't have you trying to escape, now could I?" That was Brittany's voice, the one he really didn't want to hear at that moment.

"Fuck you," Jeff snapped fiercely, rolling over onto his back to face her even though he couldn't see her. He hated this bitch with every fiber of his being.

But surprisingly, Brittany didn't even seem to be angry about his harsh comment. In fact, she even laughed. "So rude of you," she commented lightly. "Oh, well. At least you're finally mine."

At that moment, Jeff wished that he wasn't blindfolded and that his hands weren't tied so he could see the fear on her face when he strangled her. But for now, he would have to try a different approach.

"Brittany, what you feel toward me isn't love," he told her, immediately having the feeling of déjà vu. "If you loved me, you wouldn't take me against my will like this. You would do what's best for me. So forget about me, just let me go. There are other men out there, Brittany, and I'm sure there is one out there that can love you… like I never can."

There was a long moment of silence. For a short second, Jeff thought he might have gotten through to her. But then, he felt slight weight on the bed beside him.

"No, Jeff," Brittany whispered, and he knew she was close to him since he could feel her breath on his cheek. "You're the only one I'll ever want. And you're mine now, no one else's."

So, it was clear to him that Brittany was beyond the point of all reasoning. He would have to try to be more forceful when she wasn't expecting it.

But before he could continue this thought process, Jeff tensed when he felt Brittany's fingers run tenderly over his cheek before resting lightly on his chest, her lips meeting his in a kiss. He tried to pull away but found he couldn't, so he focused on not giving into it so he wouldn't encourage her.

"All right, I think we both know that your friends will come to look for you," Brittany said once she backed away. "Until then, I need you to sleep so everything will be ready should they find you."

What was she talking about? Did she really expect him to just fall asleep on command? If she did, then he could always fake it until she was gone and blindly try to find some way to escape. He probably wouldn't get too far though, not with his hands tied like they were and the blindfold in front of his eyes.

He felt slight weight leave the bed, so Jeff knew that Brittany had stood again. But after a couple of minutes, he felt her lean over him, her body a bit too close for comfort, as a cloth was place firmly over his nose and mouth. Too late, Jeff's heart raced anxiously when he realized that it contained chloroform.

"Don't fight it," Brittany told him soothingly. "It will be easier on you that way."

Jeff continued to struggle in her grasp for as long as he could anyway before the substance began to take effect. His movements began to slow as his head began to spin, feeling extremely tired as he finally went limp under her hands, slipping into unconsciousness.

Once she was sure that he was completely under by his slow, steady breathing, Brittany removed the cloth and tossed it aside. Then, she moved him on the bed so that he was completely on it in a bit of a more comfortable position, his head resting on the pillow. Then, she leaned over and kissed his cheek, smiling as she whispered, "Sweet dreams."

**Author's Note**: So… not looking good, haha. Hopefully, Luke will truly help them to try to get Jeff out of this position. See what happens next time in the climax! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	16. You're Going Down

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! I'm glad you liked that last chapter. And yes, Brittany has become a monster. Like father, like daughter, I guess, lol. Thank you so much to **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **xOallisonqtOx**, and **the hardy boyz lover **for your awesome reviews! I will join you all in slapping Brittany later, but for now… enjoy the climax! What's going to happen? I don't know…

Chapter 16- You're Going Down

**Artist**: _Sick Puppies_

Beth ran her finger lightly over her bottom lip. She was sitting in the passenger seat of Matt's black Lexus, Shannon in the seat behind her, as they drove after the dark green car being driven by Luke in front of them. Where they were going, she wasn't sure, but he was definitely leading them out of Cameron.

"What if this is a trap?" Shannon finally voiced the thought that was on all three of their minds.

"Strange you're the one doubting him now, Shan, when you so willingly trusted him before," Matt commented as they finally took the ramp off the interstate into Southern Pines.

Shannon sighed. "Well, give the guy _some_ credit," he muttered. "He was right about Brittany's plan to kidnap Jeff, wasn't he?"

"A whole lot of good _that_ did," Beth snapped quietly.

"I'm sorry for getting to Matt too late, okay?" Shannon defended himself fiercely.

"Both of you, stop!" Matt ordered with a note of authority, and Beth and Shannon immediately stopped their bickering and looked at the older Hardy. "We're all stressed out, I understand that. But if we want to save Jeff, we have to stick together. And we have to trust Luke on this. We have no other option at this point."

Beth sighed heavily, hating leaving the love of her life's fate in the hands of a man she had once believed she could trust but was no longer sure. It made her feel vulnerable since the situation could easily turn wrong. She just hoped that they weren't making the wrong decision.

Matt then reached into his pocket when his cell phone began to ring. He glanced at the name flashing on the screen before answering the call. "Yeah?"

"_We're going to be approaching my sister's house in a little bit,_" Luke told him. "_That's where Brittany and I have been staying since she's in the hospital._"

"Okay, thanks for letting us know," Matt replied. Then, after a moment's pause, he continued. "Do you have a third person working with you? A man?" He saw Beth look at him with irritation out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored it.

"_No, not that I'm aware of,_" Luke said. "_As far as I know, it's only Brittany and I. Why do you ask?_"

Matt sighed. "No reason," he muttered. "So, do we have a plan?"

"_I should probably go in alone first. That way, Brittany won't get suspicious._"

"All right. Just let us know what's going on, okay?"

"_Don't worry, I will. Talk to you soon._"

"Talk to you soon. Bye." Matt ended the call on his cell phone and put it back in his pocket with a sigh. He still wasn't liking this…

"What did Luke say?" Shannon asked.

Matt glanced at his younger friend in the rear-view mirror before moving his eyes back to the dark car ahead of them. "He said he's going to go in by himself first so Brittany won't get suspicious," he answered. "Then, he'll let us know when we should move in."

"I don't like it," Beth muttered. "What if he goes in, warns Brittany we're coming, and she kills Jeff, Matt? Ever think of that?"

The older Hardy sighed again. Of course that same thought had run through his mind. "What other option do we have, Britt?" he wondered so quietly she could barely hear him. "We'll have to trust Luke for now."

"Do we?" Shannon spoke up from the back. "I actually have to say I agree with Beth on this. We're going to find out where the house is. I don't see why we can't just go in ourselves. There are two of them and three of us, and two of us are wrestlers. The odds are definitely in our favor, Man."

Matt looked at the car ahead of them thoughtfully. Both of his friends had points. Trusting Luke now was taking a huge gamble with his brother's life that he really didn't want to take. If they could try to get to him a bit quicker on their own…

"Okay," Matt finally announced. "We'll think of our own plan."

* * *

He quietly opened the door and entered the dark room. A grin spread across his face when he saw that Jeff Hardy was lying helplessly on the bed before him, hands tied behind his back, blindfolded, and unconscious due to the chloroform Brittany had applied. He was completely at his mercy.

The man slowly approached the bed, looking down at the younger Hardy. His older brother would pay for what he had done, he would make sure of it. And who better to pay the price than the one who mean the world to him?

But before he could go through with his silent threats, he heard footsteps behind him, and he turned to see Brittany standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "You aren't going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?" she asked. "You've already almost killed him once. Jeff's _mine_. I know you want revenge, but take it out on the others close to Matt Hardy."

He just simply stared back at her, not saying a word.

Brittany sighed impatiently. "Now, come on," she told him. "Luke will be back from visiting his sister soon. You have yet to be reacquainted."

The man watched as she left the room, looking down at the defenseless Jeff Hardy on the bed for another moment, lightly running his finger over the gun in his sweatshirt pocket, before he followed her out.

* * *

Luke unlocked the front door of his sister's house. He sighed as he pushed it open, wondering how much the three others he had brought here actually trusted him. Probably not much, he realized, since he had given them no reason to trust him. But then, he thought back to the night he had talked to Beth at the restaurant. They had gotten along so well then, but that was before the attempted kidnapping from Gas Chamber Ink. They probably didn't trust him at all now.

When he entered the living room, he was surprised to see that Brittany was sitting on the couch, patiently waiting for him. "You were gone an awfully long time," she said lightly.

"Yeah, well, there was an improvement in my sister's condition," Luke quickly replied, though he truly hadn't been to the hospital at all. "I stayed for a while to talk to her."

Brittany nodded. "You're not thinking of turning against me… are you, Luke?" she wondered innocently, but her accusing stare sent daggers right into him.

Luke was caught off guard by the question. "No, Britt," he answered, though his nerves were now on high alert. "What makes you say that?"

"Because," Brittany suddenly snapped, her eyes flickering dangerously. "I saw your car arrive at Matt Hardy's house while I was leaving with Jeff. _What_ were you doing there?!"

"I… That's what I meant to tell you," Luke muttered, his mind racing for an excuse. "I led them here, claiming I could bring them to Jeff. That way, we could take them out on our own turf."

Brittany stared at him for a long moment before appearing to relax as a smile slowly appeared on her face. "You know," she said sweetly. "That would be a convincing lie if I didn't know you so well." Luke's heard dropped. "I always knew that you would turn against me eventually. Pity, since you've been such a great friend to me for my whole life. Almost like a father. I'm sorry about this, I really am. Don't worry, it's nothing personal."

Before Luke could react, Brittany quickly pulled out a gun that was hidden under the pillow beside her and fired. Luke couldn't even cry out when the bullet entered his chest, and his face drained of color because of the excruciating pain as he collapsed to the ground.

"As I said, nothing personal," Brittany muttered as she got to her feet and stood over him, watching emotionlessly as he gasped for air and blood blossomed on his chest. Then, she looked up as a man with dark hair entered the room and stood beside her, looking down at the dying man on the floor also. "Meet your replacement."

Luke's eyes widened with fear when he saw him. He would know that face, though different than the last time he had seen him, and those eyes anywhere. But it couldn't have been possible… "…_You_…" he hissed through his gasps.

The man grinned sadistically as he looked down at Luke, seeming to love the fear that he felt at seeing him. Brittany smirked also as she wrapped her arm around the man's waist, looking out the window and seeing the black Lexus that she knew belonged to Matt Hardy a little bit down the road from the house. "Hmm, they really are here," she said. Then, she looked up at the man next to her. "Go and greet our guests, will you?"

Nodding and seeming excited to "greet" them, the man pulled the hood of his sweater over his head as he stuck his hand in the pocket, getting a hold of his handgun before he stepped over Luke and disappeared out the front door into the night.

* * *

"The only house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees… what else is new?" Shannon muttered, looking at the house in question that lay ahead of them.

Beth glanced back at him with a sigh as his voice cut through the heavy tension like a knife. She didn't think she had ever felt more nervous before. She really wasn't in the mood for her younger friend's comments.

Luke had left to go inside the house a few minutes before, and Matt found himself drumming his fingers on the steering wheel anxiously as he waited for some sort of signal to move. He hated staying in the car while his brother's life rested in the hands of a man he wasn't sure he could trust. He would have loved to run in there and take him back from the psycho girl himself.

"I think we should start finding a way to sneak inside," the older Hardy finally muttered, getting too restless. Relief flashed across Beth's face as she immediately opened her door and stepped out into the snow, Shannon doing the same from the back. Matt was the last one out of the car, and he locked it up as he joined the other two. "Maybe the back door would be best…"

Suddenly, they jumped when they heard a loud gunshot echo around them, and they looked at each other fearfully. "Okay, I don't think _that_ was supposed to happen," Shannon commented quietly. Beth felt her heart racing anxiously as she instinctively grabbed Matt's arm, trying to fight back the fear that Jeff had been on the receiving end of that shot…

But before they could comment on the sound further, the front door opened, and the same hooded man they had seen back at the house stepped out onto the porch. He really _was_ working with Brittany… After a moment, the man saw them, and he pulled his gun out of his sweatshirt pocket as he started toward them.

"Run!" Matt shouted, pushing Shannon in the direction of the back of the house as he yelled at Beth to follow them. The man was close behind them as he chased them, he knew, so he figured their best chance was to find somewhere to hide. He knew the terrain well. They couldn't outrun him. The one thing he still couldn't believe, however, was that Eric Howe was still alive…

Matt then crouched behind a couple of bushes once he got into the backyard, grabbing Shannon's arm and pulling him down next to him so he was hidden too. Fortunately, Eric was nowhere to be seen… but neither was Beth.

"Britt!" the older Hardy hissed as he snuck a glance out from behind the bush to look for her. "_Britt_!"

"I didn't see her behind me," Shannon muttered fearfully. "Do you think he got-!"

"No, he was definitely chasing after us," Matt replied, trying to settle his breathing and anxious mind. "If Britt ran in another direction, she should be okay. But I just don't see where Britt would-!"

His sentence was cut off when Shannon suddenly cried out, and Matt quickly turned around and watched as his younger friend was pulled roughly out of the bush. The older Hardy immediately stood, seeing that Eric had hit his gun over Shannon's head as he collapsed limply to the snow.

But, before he could turn his complete attention to him, Matt tackled the other man, causing both of them to fall to the ground since he had caught him off guard. He wrenched the gun from Eric's hand and tossed it aside before he punched him forcefully a couple of times. When he was no longer putting up a struggle, Matt took a deep breath and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt back to reveal the face of the man he at one time believed he had killed.

What he saw caused a strangled yell to escape from him.

* * *

Beth carefully and quietly pushed open the front door of the house. She had run in a different direction when they were attacked by the man Matt claimed to be Eric Howe, and since he had chased after them instead, she was able to reach the house without detection since he was distracted. Now, she snuck through the dark living room as silently as she could to start her search for Jeff.

Suddenly, her foot hit something kind of soft as she tripped over it, and she bit back a cry when she landed on her arm wrong, not wanting to alert the house's other inhabitants. Looking back at what she had fallen over, her heart raced anxiously when she saw it was a body.

"Luke…" Beth muttered anxiously, pushing herself to her knees as she placed her hand on his cold cheek. Then, in the light filtering in through the window, she saw crimson staining his shirt on his chest and that he was barely breathing. Well, now she knew who had been on the receiving end of the gunshot they had heard earlier… "Oh, God… Come on, Luke, don't give up on me now. Come on…"

There was a long moment of silence where he didn't even say anything. But then, he took a short, shallow breath, which caused him to cough a little. "Luke, come on," Beth continued encouragingly. "Who did this? Brittany?"

"Ye… yeah…" Luke gasped, his weary gaze searching for her face. "I… I'm… so… sorry…"

Beth bit her bottom lip nervously as she pressed down on his chest to apply pressure to the wound. "Why are you apologizing?" she asked, feeling tears pricking her eyes. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

Luke laughed quietly, which caused him to cough some more. "I… I tried, Be… Beth…"

"I know," Beth told him with a smile as a single tear fell from her eye. "But you did help us, Luke. You brought us to Jeff. We can save him now, okay? Just stay with me, Luke. Stay strong." Though she tried to remain encouraging, she could tell just by looking at him that she had gotten there too late.

"He's… upstairs… bedroom…" Luke whispered, weakly returning her smile as he loosely took Beth's hand. "Th… thank, Be… Beth…" Then, his eyes closed, the slight grasp he had on her hand going limp. He was gone.

Beth sniffed, wiping away the few tears that had fallen from her eyes as she brushed some of his black hair out of his face. She remembered back to the night that she had met him at her and Jeff's favorite Italian restaurant and how well they had gotten along, and then how reluctant he had been when he was following Brittany's orders to try to kidnap her. Luke wasn't like Brittany, she realized. Deep down, he had been opposed to what she was doing, and Beth felt regret bloom inside of her that she hadn't returned that friendship as much as she could have. She even felt guilty that she hadn't trusted him now when he had paid the ultimate price to try to help them.

But even though she hadn't been able to save him, Beth knew she could still save Jeff. Luke had told her where he was, and now, it was only her and Brittany. She slowly and quietly got to her feet and crossed the rest of the living room, finding the staircase that led up to the second floor. She looked up at it for a long moment, taking a deep breath as she began to climb them, hopefully on her way to find the most important person in her life.

_Hold on, Jeff. I'm coming._

* * *

The burnt and scarred face of Eric Howe. That was what he had expected to see.

But that wasn't what he saw.

Instead, he saw a man whose features were young and pleasant with chin-length black hair. But when he looked closer, past the handsome surface, there were definite similarities in his facial structure to Eric. But the most striking feature that was so eerily close to the man he had thought he was were his eyes. They were dark with a tint of malice- just like Eric Howe's.

"Who are you?" Matt asked in nearly a whisper as he backed away from the man who appeared to be younger than him.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Hardy?" the man replied as he got to his feet. "But don't worry. This won't be the last time you see me." He looked up at the second floor of the house next to him. "For now, I have other matters to attend to."

There were so many questions running through his mind that he couldn't even focus on which one to ask first. Matt stared at him with mounting dread as the younger man began to walk away from him, disappearing from sight around the front of the house. Feeling that he was out of danger for now, Matt rushed over to where Shannon still lay in the snow, quickly shaking his friend. "Come on, Shan, we have to go," he said.

"Mmm… five more minutes…" Shannon mumbled, pushing the older man's hands away.

"No, Shan. Not five more minutes. _Now_," Matt snapped, slapping him once to wake him. "We have to find Britt."

"Britt…" Then, after the force of the slap, Shannon quickly sat up after he realized where he was and why they were there, putting his hand to his head since it was still sore from the impact of the weapon. "Where's that guy?"

"He's gone," Matt told him. "But I think he may have gone to look for Britt too, or at least Brittany, which is why we have to go. Come on." He then pulled Shannon to his feet, and they began to walk around the house to the front door.

"Matt, who _did_ attack us?" Shannon asked, pausing for a minute when the blow to his head made him a bit dizzy.

Sighing, Matt turned to look back at him, the young man's face still clear in his mind. "I… I don't know," he answered quietly.

"You _don't_ know?" Shannon repeated with exasperation. "What do you mean you _don't _know? How can you _not_ know?"

Matt sighed, but before he could explain further about how the man wasn't really Eric, a loud sound echoed in the night around them. With a sinking heart, the older Hardy realized that it was another gunshot.

* * *

Beth cautiously moved around on the second floor, looking into each room as she passed it. Luke had told her that Jeff was in the upstairs bedroom. How many options did she have in a house that wasn't too big?

Then, she came to a door at the end of the hallway, and she slowly opened it. What she saw made a jolt of panic run through her heart.

Jeff was tied to a chair, blindfolded and gagged with his head slumped against his chest, not moving. He looked completely helpless.

"Oh, God… Jeff…" Beth muttered as she took a couple steps toward him. At the sound of her voice, Jeff raised his head a little as he groggily tried to look around in the direction of where he had heard her since he couldn't see anything.

Beth sighed with relief, grateful that he was at least alive. But before she could continue toward him, a voice from behind her stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't even think about it, dear."

Slowly turning around, Beth gasped when she found herself facing the barrel of a gun held by Brittany. Though there was a smile on her face, there was a malicious glint in her eyes that was _very_ dangerous. "I'm not going to let you have Jeff," she muttered with determination.

"Oh, really?" Brittany's smile turned to a smirk as she walked around Beth before wrapping her arms around Jeff's shoulders, ignoring him tense under her hold. "Do you really think a _ring_ is going to stop me from getting what I want? Sorry, but Jeff's mine now."

"Brittany, a ring isn't the only thing that's connecting me to Jeff," Beth tried to reason, though her heart was beating anxiously as she eyed the gun in her hand. She was trying not to lose her temper for Jeff's safety, but she felt like strangling the girl.

The younger woman raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh? And what would this other thing be?"

Beth nervously bit her bottom lip. "If you take Jeff from me now… a child will never be able to know its father," she told her quietly, pausing as she waited for this information to sink in. Jeff made some sort of groaning noise in protest to her statement, which he must not have wanted Brittany to know, but Beth knew that if that didn't get through to her, nothing would.

Brittany stared at Beth for a long moment, and her eyes widened with what appeared to be fear as understanding crashed down on her. "No…" She looked from Beth to Jeff and back again, sighing as a resigned expression quickly replaced it. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry I have to do this, Beth… I didn't want to… but if he can't be mine… he can't be anyone else's." Making sure that the gun in her hand was loaded, Brittany roughly put the barrel of her gun to Jeff's temple, causing him to gasp with pain.

But Beth was quick. Acting entirely on instinct, she reached into her sweatshirt pocket and pulled out the gun that Matt had bought for her that she had snuck along with them, making sure it was loaded before aiming it at Brittany. "Drop it!" she snapped, her nerves on high alert. She couldn't let Jeff die…

The younger woman's eyes shone with amusement, those a flicker of nervousness passed across her face. "Oh, so you can play too," Brittany muttered with a slight laugh. "Just what are you going to do with that?"

"Nothing if you just put the gun down," Beth told her, her hands starting to shake a little. She still wasn't quite comfortable with the metallic weapon, and she didn't like even threatening to use it.

Brittany smirked triumphantly. "Not a chance," she replied in a whisper. "It has to be this way…"

The two women stared at each other for a long, silent moment that seemed to drag on forever. Then, she placed her finger lightly on the trigger, waited for a moment until she saw movement, and fired the gun.

**Author's Note **…um, no comment on that last part. Who fired? Well, you'll have to find out next time. And who's the man that Matt thought was Eric? You'll have to wait a little longer to find that out, I'm afraid. But, you will, don't worry. I hoped you enjoyed the climax! Thanks for reading. Your reviews are much appreciated.


	17. Permanent

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. I'll have to think of a better disclaimer for my next story, won't I… Lol.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! Omg, can you believe what this is? It's the LAST chapter. I can't believe we're here already. I mean, where did this story go? Lol. It's been one wild ride, and I hope you guys have enjoyed it as much as I have! Thank you so much to **- .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-**, **xOallisonqtOx**, **ponygirl-loves-mcqueen**, and **Expect-the-Unexpected75** for your awesome reviews! Love you guys! And I'm glad to see you guys all feel bad about what happened to Luke. I feel bad too, I really do. But, also, who fired the gun? Well, you'll see! So, without any further ado, enjoy the last chapter!

Chapter 17- Permanent

**Artist**: _David Cook_

Jeff went limp in the chair.

Beth gasped with horror, the gun dropping from her hands at the sight before her.

Brittany, the smile still lingering on her face, slowly released her hold on the gun as she collapsed to the floor, blood blossoming on her chest. After a long moment that seemed to drag on for what felt like forever, her eyes finally closed. She was gone.

Tears quickly fell from her eyes as Beth weakly sank to her knees, shaking. She hadn't meant to kill the other woman, she truly hadn't. It had just been a surge of instinct. If she hadn't fired her gun when she had, Jeff would have died. She couldn't think of what else to do to save him. But regardless, her intention hadn't been to kill her… A quiet, broken sob escaped from her as she shakily put the gun back in her sweatshirt pocket, not wanting to see it. She vowed she was never going to use it again…

At the sound of her cry, Jeff quickly raised his head and moved it around the room though he still couldn't see, making a muffled, anxious sound that could have been her name. Beth gasped as she looked up at him, grateful that he was all right, as she got to her feet and crossed the room to him. She knelt down in front of her bound fiancé, tenderly running her fingers over his cheek to let him know that it was her before she removed the blindfold from his eyes. She found Jeff's panicked green orbs looking back at her, trying to adjust to the lack of lighting as Beth took the gag out of his mouth.

"Are you all right?" Jeff asked immediately, alarmed to see her tears. "You weren't hurt, were you?"

"No, no, I wasn't," Beth answered quietly with assurance, taking a deep breath as she began to work on untying him from the chair. "Brittany was going to shoot you, and I… I didn't have any other choice…"

Jeff looked down on the floor next to him, seeing Brittany lying by the chair. It was clear that she was dead.

"I… I didn't mean to…" Beth continued, more tears falling from her eyes as the rope loosened from around Jeff. "I didn't mean to kill her…"

"Shh, it's all right," Jeff tried to calm her as he took his arms out of the rope, pulling her close to him. "It wasn't your fault. Everything's going to be okay, you'll see. But it's over, Beth. It's over now."

Beth nodded as she cried into his shoulder for a couple more minutes, getting all of her stored up emotion out, before she took a deep, steadying breath and looked up at Jeff. "What about you, hon?" she asked, more concerned about him. "Did she hurt you?"

"Just chloroform," Jeff told her, wincing as he tried to move his stiff, cramped muscles more. "That will completely wear off soon, though… I hope."

Taking another deep breath as she gave him a slight smile, Beth felt one more tear fall from her eye. "I'm just so glad you're all right. I was so scared…"

Jeff returned the smile, gently wiping her tear away with his thumb. "I'll be fine," he muttered, gently kissing her forehead.

Beth laughed a little, kissing his lips quickly. "Let's just go home," she whispered.

"That sounds wonderful."

"Here, I'll help you." Beth took his arm and put it around her shoulders, wrapping her other around his waist as she helped him to stand. Jeff noticeably cringed as his body straightened, and he shook his head a little as if to clear it. "You okay, hon?"

"I'll be fine," Jeff told her with a weak smile. "But I'll be even better when we get home, so let's go."

Beth nodded, beginning to carefully lead him out of the bedroom. She couldn't help but notice that Jeff was leaning on her a bit, but she couldn't really blame him after being drugged and tied up for a long period of time. But, as he said, that would hopefully get better soon.

As they started to slowly go down the steps to the first floor, they heard quick footsteps from below, and they paused for a minute as Matt and Shannon appeared beneath them. "Oh, thank God you're both okay!" the older Hardy exclaimed, hurrying up the stairs to them and helping Jeff down the rest of them, Beth following close behind. "We heard a gunshot, and-!"

"It was Brittany."

Matt paused, slowly turning and looking down at Beth after she made her quiet statement. "What?"

"It was Brittany," Beth replied, a thin line of tears in her eyes. "Brittany was the one who was shot."

Shannon sighed when he saw Beth's tears, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Beth leaned into him, finding her younger friend's presence comforting. "It'll be okay, Beth," he said in a hopefully calming way. "We'll work it out, you'll see. Everything will be okay."

Matt also sighed as he supported his brother, having no idea that Beth had even brought her gun along with her. But, he supposed it didn't really matter at the moment. Everyone was for the most part unhurt, and that was all he cared about.

It was time to go home.

* * *

The man slowly entered the dark bedroom, stopping in front of the body of the dead girl lying on the floor. So, this is what her obsession had brought her to…

He sighed as he knelt beside her, gently brushing some stray strands of her blonde hair out of her pale face. For a moment, he had to wonder what she was like before she had become so infatuated with this man named Jeff Hardy… The man then slowly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photograph of three people that he always carried with him. It was of a family, something he knew he would never have.

One was a dark-haired man with dark eyes, a man he knew was Eric Howe. Wrapped in his arms was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes, the woman being his wife. And between them was Brittany Howe, the girl that now lie dead before him. She looked so much different in the photograph, so much more beautiful and cheerful. It was nothing like he had known her in her last few days on this earth.

But what he did notice as he looked back down at her pale, lifeless face was that some of the characteristics from the photo could now be seen in her blank features.

Then, the man reached into his pocket when his cell phone began to ring. He looked at the name flashing on the screen, knowing it instantly, before flipping it open and bringing it to his ear. "Hello?" He paused as he listened to the man that was his closest friend. "Okay, Max, I'll be right there."

He flipped the phone closed and put it back in his jeans pocket as he got to his feet. Then, he looked down at the photograph he held in his hand for one more moment before putting it back in his coat pocket, his dark eyes once again landing on Brittany Howe before he turned and left the room.

He had seen the girl, Beth, take her life.

She was going to pay for it, he would make sure of it.

* * *

Matt sighed as he sat down on the couch beside his younger brother, putting his cell phone back in his pocket. "The police are heading out to Southern Pines for the bodies," he told him quietly.

"What about Beth?" Jeff asked quietly, visibly worried about his fiancée. "With the incident with Brittany…"

"Don't worry about Britt," Matt answered, giving him a small smile. "If it came down to it, we could claim self-defense. After all, Brittany was going to shoot you, otherwise, wasn't she? That's what I gathered, anyway…"

Jeff laughed a little. "I honestly couldn't tell you exactly, Man," he said. "I was blindfolded with some chloroform still in my system. I had no idea what the hell was going on. I heard Beth's voice, Brittany's voice, a gunshot… I was scared that Beth had gotten hurt. But, at least it's over now."

When Matt didn't say anything in agreement, Jeff slowly looked at his older brother, beginning to feel slightly nervous. "It's over, isn't it, Matt?" he asked, hoping for reassurance.

Matt sighed, slowly shaking his head. "No, I don't think it is yet, Jeff," he muttered.

"What do you mean?" Jeff was starting to feel very anxious now.

"Before Shan and I got inside the house and found you and Britt, we were being chased by the man we believed to be Eric Howe," Matt explained quietly. "You know, the man who tried to kill you? Anyway, he knocked out Shan, and I had a short scuffle with him where I pulled back his hood, and… it wasn't Eric."

Jeff looked at Matt for a long moment as this new information sunk in. "Not Eric?" he repeated quietly.

Matt shook his head. "No, it wasn't," he said. "He was much younger, probably around Brittany's age. Handsome kid, but his eyes… they looked exactly like Eric's. His face wasn't burnt or scarred, though…"

"I could have just been seeing things," Jeff replied, thinking about how the man had attacked him at the lake. "But, what you're saying is that there's someone else out there who's after us?"

"Shh," Matt hissed, quickly glancing into the kitchen at the staircase. "There's no use worrying Britt about that right now. Who knows? We may never even see him again."

But the younger Hardy knew better. "I don't know about that, Matt," he told him quietly. "If he's somehow tied to that group of crazy-ass people, we haven't seen the last of him."

Matt sighed with reluctant agreement as he turned to look at the flickering flames in the fireplace ahead of him. Then, his eyes shone as he looked up at the mantle. "Oh, I have something to give back to you, Jeff."

Jeff watched as Matt got to his feet and crossed the room, taking something from the top of the fireplace. He smiled when he turned around and saw that it was his silver Hardy Boyz pendant.

"Back to its rightful owner," Matt said with a smile as he held it out for him to take.

"Thanks, Man." Jeff took the pendant from his proffered hand and put it back around his neck, and he had to admit that it felt great. He had missed it…

Matt then pulled Jeff to his feet and wrapped his younger brother up in a tight hug. "It's good to have you back, Jeffro."

After having a couple of drinks with the older Hardy, Jeff went upstairs to the guest bedroom where Beth had been resting. He opened the door as quietly as he could so he wouldn't disturb the woman inside, but he was surprised at what he saw when he entered the dark room. Lizzie was curled up, asleep in her basket just as he had left her, but Beth was no longer in bed. Instead, she was sanding by the window, silently watching the gently falling snow outside.

_"Will you think that you're all alone_

_When no one's there to hold your hand…"_

"Beth," Jeff muttered, hoping not to scare her as he closed the door behind him.

At the sound of his voice, she slowly turned to face him, a single tear falling from her eye. "Hey, hon," she whispered. "I'm just thinking about everything that's happened… I feel so bad about Luke. He considered me a friend, but… I didn't return the feeling as much as I could have. And now…" Her sentence slowly trailed off.

Jeff looked at her sadly as he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. "It's okay, Beth," he told her, kissing her head when a few more tears escaped from her. "What happened to Luke was out of anyone's control. But at least he remained loyal to you and not to Brittany."

Beth slowly nodded, taking a deep breath as she wiped her tears away. "I was so scared," she continued so quietly he could barely hear her, clinging to Jeff tightly as if she was afraid he was going to disappear. "When Brittany took you… had the gun to your head… I thought I was going to lose you, Jeff…"

_"And all you know seems so far away_

_And everything is temporary…"_

Jeff gently tilted Beth's face up so he could look her in the eye. "Listen to me, Beth," he said quietly but firmly. "I'm not going anywhere. No matter what happens, I will never leave you."

Beth smiled up at him, feeling comforted by his words. Then, she slowly leaned up and met his lips in a tender kiss. She remembered the times of late where she had almost lost him- the car accident… the lake… Brittany taking him from her…

But somehow, he had always come back to her. He would still be there no matter what happened, the softness of his lips against hers proved that.

"I love you, Jeffro," Beth whispered once they broke the kiss, laying her head against his chest. The strong sound of his heartbeat around her calmed her even more.

Jeff placed his cheek on top of her hair as he held her close. "I love you too, Beth," he replied just as quietly. "Always remember that."

_"Rest your head_

_I'm permanent…"_

**_The End_**

**Author's Note**: Those two words, huh? Wow. But, as some of you know and some of you might not know, this really isn't the end… yet. There will be ONE more story in this little saga I have going on here (for me, it seems like it only has to be one story or three, it's really weird, lol), and I'm hoping you guys will like it! After all, you have yet to learn who that man is. Sorry this chapter was a little shorter than the rest, but it sets up the next story. Hopefully, a trailer will be posted soon (right now, it's more of a vignette, haha). So, thanks you guys! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	18. Trailer

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. (Someone wanna help me come up with a better one for the next story? Lol!)

**Author's Note**: Yes, you guys are finally seeing this… the trailer to my third story! Sorry for the bit of a wait… Thank you guys so much for your reviews for "Ice," I really appreciated them all! And, special thanks to **Expect-the-Unexpected75** for staying up with me until like after two in the morning while I finished this! It was very inspiring, and we had a lot of laughs! Haha. So, without any further ado, enjoy the trailer, guys! The prologue is actually already done, so I should be able to get that up soon. Thanks, guys! Enjoy!

Trailer

**Song**: "Monster" by Skillet

_A black screen_

**Boy **(_Voiceover_): "Do you really have to leave, Mommy?"

_Fades into a shot of a young boy with dark hair and eyes looking sadly up at a woman with light brown hair as she kneels in front of him_

**Woman**: "I'll come back for you one day, Brian, I promise."

_Shows a shot of Brian wrapping his arms around his mother a single tear falls from her eye before cutting to a black screen_

**Brian **(_Voiceover_): "I love you, Mommy."

_Fades into a shot of a brown-haired boy cowering in fear behind the couch as a blonde-haired woman staggers toward him_

**Woman**: "Here, Max. Come to Mommy..."

**Max**: "Mommy, no!"

_Cuts sharply to a black screen_

_Fades into a shot of Brian, now an adult, as he approaches a man sitting in a chair with Max, now also an adult_

**Brian**: "I'm trying, I really am..."

_Cuts to a shot of Eric Howe in the chair, completely burned and scarred, features hardly recognizable_

**Eric**: "Not hard enough. The only way you'll prove to me that you're trying is when they're gone... for good."

_Cuts to a shot of Brian pounding on the wall as he cries out in frustration_

**Brian** (_Voiceover_): "Yes, Father."

_Cuts sharply to a black screen_

**After the incidents in Cameron, maybe it would be help to have some time away...**

_Shows a shot of Matt and Jeff Hardy standing outside the older's house_

**Matt**: "What do you think, Jeff? They want us for Wrestlemania. Wouldn't it be great to be on the road again and just forget about things?"

_Shows a quick sequence of shots:_

_Jeff falling through the ice_

_Matt fighting with a hooded man_

_Shannon Moore running over to Jeff as he stumbles out of his crashed car_

_Beth Britt sobbing as Matt holds her_

_Cuts to a black screen before fading back to the shot of Matt and Jeff_

**Jeff**: "Yeah, that would probably be a good idea."

_Shows a shot of Jeff lying in bed with Beth, her head resting on his chest_

**Beth**: "I'm going with you."

_Shows a shot of Jeff, smiling broadly, as he opens the door and sees Shannon, Julie, and Shane Helms_

**Shane**: "Hey, if this is your big show, we're going with you, Man!"

_Cuts to a shot of the Legend placing his hand on Jeff's arm_

**Legend**: "I'm proud of you, Son."

_Shows a shot of Jeff appearing on the entrance ramp in an arena as sparks fly on either side of him_

**Jeff** (_Voiceover_): "This is going to be my last Wrestlemania for some time. I want to be there to see my child born. I want to be there for my family."

_Shows a shot of John Morrison shaking Jeff's hand_

**Morrison**: "Make sure you go out there and kick some ass, okay?"

**Jeff**: "You can count on it."

**... but some things don't always go as planned...**

_Shows a shot of a shocked Matt in the hotel lobby as he watches an approaching couple_

**Matt**: "_Amy_?!"

_Cuts to a shot of Beth clutching Jeff's hand tightly_

**Beth**: "Something is wrong about this hotel."

_Shows a quick shot of a shadowy figure standing outside of the hotel before cutting to a black screen_

**It's time to keep friends close...**

_Shows a quick sequence of shots:_

_Jeff pulling Beth close to him as they kiss in front of a lit fountain_

_Matt laughing as he toasts with Shane and Shannon_

_Adam Copeland giving Jeff a quick, one-armed hug_

_Morrison laughing as he walks down the hallway with Matt and Jeff_

_Randy Orton smiling broadly as he hugs Beth and looks at her rounder stomach as she laughs_

_Shannon tenderly kissing Julie_

_The Legend smiling as he watches his sons_

**... and enemies closer...**

_Shows a shot of Beth smiling as she talks to Max_

_Cuts to a shot of Brian sitting on the fountain, playing his guitar, as the Legend approaches him_

_Cuts to a shot of Brian and Max sitting in the cheering audience as Jeff enters the ring_

_Cuts sharply to a black screen before fading into a shot of Matt and Amy standing in the hallway_

**Matt**: "_What_ are you doing here?"

_Shows a shot of CM Punk entering the ring, grinning broadly_

**Amy** (_voiceover_): "I'm here for the people I love. Is that a crime?"

_Shows a shot of Matt leaning closer to Amy before cutting to a black screen_

**The stakes are higher than they have ever been before...**

_Shows a shot of Shane coughing forcefully as Matt grabs his arms to hold him upright while his glass falls to the floor and shatters_

_Cuts to a shot of Orton being thrown to the hard ground before violently being kicked in the side_

**Eric** (_Voiceover_): "I don't care how many you have to get rid of..."

_Shows a shot of Morrison being struck over the head before being tossed into a large freezer, barely conscious, as the door slams shut behind him_

_Cuts to a shot of Matt anxiously running toward Adam as he approaches his car, grabbing him and pulling him back, the car exploding as they fall to the ground_

**Eric** (_Voiceover_): "... as long as Matt and Jeff are dead!"

_Shows a shot of Beth's eyes closing as she collapses, Jeff immediately running toward her_

**Jeff**: "_Beth_!"

_Cuts to a shot of Shannon stepping in front of Beth as she screams_

_Cuts to a black screen as a gunshot is heart_

**Beth**: "_No!"_

**Chasing Shadows**

_Fades into a shot of Shannon and Julie sitting on the bed in their hotel room, wrapped in each other's arms_

**Julie**: "What more could possibly go wrong?"

_Cuts to a shot of Jeff's eyes widening with fear as a gun appears in his face_

**Brian**: "This _will _be your last Wrestlemania."

_Coming soon to a fanfiction site near you!_


End file.
